Dr Michal Korenko

Nationality
Slovakia
Programme
SMART LOIRE VALLEY GENERAL PROGRAMME
Period
September, 2022 - August, 2023
Award
LE STUDIUM Research Fellowship

From

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences - SK  

In residence at

Extreme Conditions and Materials: High Temperature and Irradiation (CEMHTI) / CNRS - FR

Host scientist

Dr Mathieu Allix

Biography

Michal Korenko obtained his Ph.D. in high temperature molten salts chemistry and electrochemistry in 2003 at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia. Currently he is working as a senior research fellow at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, working in the Molten Salts Group with the ultimate focus to link and understand the relation between the structure of molten systems and their physico–chemical behaviour (thermal stability, density, viscosity, conductivity, etc.). His scientific career has focused on projects in the field of molten salt chemistry, high temperature electrometallurgy and high temperature energy applications. He was involved in a number of academic projects (EU, US, Slovak, Czech), including specific projects for industrial partners (ALCOA, HYDRO, RIO TINTO, ELYSIS). In 2009 – 2011, he spent two years as a postdoc at the Nuclear Research Institute in Řež near Prague working on pyrochemical electrochemical separation of lanthanides and actinides in molten fluorides. In 2017 he assumed his position in Slovakia after 3 years spending as visiting scholar at the Valparaiso University, Indiana, USA, participating on US Department of Energy (ARPA-E) project of solar thermal electrolysis of MgO from molten fluorides.

Project

Molten Salt Synthesis and Characterization of (Oxo)-(Fluoro)-Aluminates for Electrochemical and Electronic/Photonic Applications

The primary aim of the project is a thorough and comprehensive physico-chemical analysis and structural characterization of key phases and compounds of high-temperature fluoride melt/solid (glass) interphases. This knowledge base will be used for a targeted synthesis and preparation of previously unknown compounds and materials (including their physicochemical characterization), based on oxo-fluoro-aluminates of alkali metals with interesting functional properties for electronic and photonic applications. A key innovation is to apply a new, synergistic and strategic approach to the synthesis of metastable/non-stoichiometric phases and materials in order to discover new functional complex compounds, phases, and materials for electrochemical, electronic, and photonic applications. The project is based on the complementary relationship between the expertise of Dr Michal Korenko gained during his 22-year career in molten salt chemistry, and the expertise and infrastructure of the host`s site in France (CEMHTI CNRS, Orléans) in the area of high-temperature systems (melts, glasses, ceramics, interfaces). The infrastructure in Orléans is unique worldwide, and especially relevant for this project with its high-temperature NMR and containerless aerodynamic levitation technique. The collaboration between institutions (IIC SAS in Bratislava and CEMHTI in Orléans) was up to now mostly oriented towards the study of the structure of oxo-fluoride melts for aluminium production. This new project will focus on the high junction materials based on the synthesis from these molten oxo-fluoride melts for eletronic and photonic applications.

Events organised by this fellow