doc. Václav Čuba: On radiolysis of water: inducing free radicals and excited states by low energy radiation

It has been known that radiolysis of aqueous solutions by high energy ionizing radiation, UV radiation, and in some cases also by visible light, often leads to very similar products. Reaction mechanisms leading to these products, as mapped for high energy radiation, usually involve reactions of transient products of water radiolysis. Therefore, two interesting questions arise: can a low intensity, low energy radiation also induce formation of transient products of water radiolysis? And on the other hand, can high energy ionizing radiation directly induce formation of some specific excited species, such as singlet oxygen? This lecture focuses on challenges and problems related to the detection of these reactive intermediates and evaluation of their yields. 

Doc. Čuba´s research fields are radiation and materials chemistry. He has gained large experience in application of radiation, photochemical and conventional methods for synthesis of nanomaterials, including synthesis of nanoscintillators through collaborations such as CERN, University in Lyon or Université Grenoble Alpes. He is currently the dean of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague.