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The Slovak Academy of Sciences awarded the world-renowned material scientist Professor Yury Gogotsi the scientific degree Doctor of Sciences honoris causa. The SAS Scientific Council decided to award this scientific personality for his support of science and the development of materials chemistry in Slovakia. Professor Y. Gogotsi received the award from President of SAS, Professor Pavol Šajgalík, at the ceremony that took place on Tuesday, May 24, 2024, on the premises of the Academy.

Professor Yury Gogotsi, from a Ukrainian scientific family, is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of material science. He currently serves as a Professor Director at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he specializes in materials science, chemistry and electrochemistry. His research on the interplay between the structure and capacitive performance of carbon nanomaterials has led to advancements in this field, culminating in the creation of a new generation of supercapacitors that enhance the storage and utilization of electrical energy.

 "It is a great honour and pleasure that today we can award this extremely inspiring and creative person," said, among other things, the SAS President, Professor P. Šajgalík, in his introductory speech. The laudatio was delivered by Professor Karol Marhold, Vice-President for Scientific Section 2. (The full speech is featured in the attachment.) As he stated, Professor Gogotsi and his research team have been working in recent years on a new type of 2D material known as MXenes, first discovered and described in 2011 by a research team at Drexel University in the USA. Professor Gogotsi, along with his team, collaborate with research facilities around the world and participate in the development of new materials at universities and scientific workplaces in his native Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Norway and the USA, where he relocated in 1996. “Professor Yury Gogotsi was the first guest in a series of lectures to which the Slovak Academy of Sciences together with the Learned Society of Slovakia invites scientific capacities from all over the world. The lecture took place in May 2019 on the premises of the SAS," says K. Marhold, describing the cooperation between Gogotsi and the Academy. “He worked very closely with Polymer Institute SAS, thanks to which Dr Omastová´s team has been in recent years intensively devoted to the preparation and characterization of 2D Mxene structures and their possible utilization. Gradually, other SAS groups focused on these materials too, which led to interesting new applications in different areas," summarized K. Marhold.  

In his short lecture and acceptance speech, Professor Yury Gogotsi reviewed his existing scientific activity, paying special attention to cooperation with SAS and its scientific personalities.

Edited by Andrea Nozdrovická

Foto: Martin Bystriansky