We are pleased to announce the results of the “Young Researchers IChF PAN” competition. Four group members were awarded!

Laureates in the category of young researchers with a doctoral degree: Katarzyna Rojek, Emilia Witkowska-Nery, Hossein Maleki Ghaleh, Magdalena Wiloch, Mateusz Pielach, Kamila Łępicka, Bartłomiej Bończak, Agata Błaziak, Faria Khan, Mykola Kravets.

Laureates in the category of PhD students: Muhammad Ans, Joanna Kruszyńska, Marek Czarnota, Aneta Magiera, Klaudia Staśkiewicz, Rafał Zbonikowski, Katarzyna Dusiło, Vishnu Anilkumar, Elżbieta Jarosińska, Sada Raza.

Warm congratulations to all the awardees! 

New papers from the group! Congrats to all authors.

Langmuir Nanoarchitectonics of Thermoresponsive Adaptive System of PNIPAM-Decorated Nanoparticles Induced by the Ionic Strength of the Subphase

Rafał Zbonikowski, Asghar Aryanfar, Michalina Iwan, Martin Presselt, Jan Paczesny

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (29), 13406-13419 (IF=3.2)

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c02555

The internal energy as a function of state parameters in steady and unsteady Poiseuille flows

Konrad Giżyński, Karol Makuch, Jan Paczesny, Paweł Żuk, Anna Maciołek, Robert Hołyst

Journal of Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics, 2025 (IF=4.2)

https://doi.org/10.1515/jnet-2025-0003

Green Tea Anti-Acanthamoeba Activity Regulated by Silver Nanoparticles

Ludmiła Szewczak, Mateusz Grotek, Julita Nowakowska, Mateusz Wdowiak, Jan Paczesny, Maria Doligalska

Parasitological Science, 2025

https://www.sciltp.com/journals/parsci/articles/2508001071

The "Living Materials" Group members participated in the 2025 Fall Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) that took place from September 15 to 18, 2025, at the main campus of the University of Technology in Warsaw (Poland). 

Symposium N "Thin Film, Flexible and Composite Materials and Their Formation Techniques: Synthesis and Characterization of Functional Nano Composite Material"

* Jan Paczesny - invited talk "Nanomaterials for Antimicrobial and Antiviral Applications: From Surface Engineering to Selective Biocontrol"

* Bartek Bończak - talk "Engineering nanoparticles-based and polymer-based anti-phage materials"

* Bartek Kamiński - talk "Illuminating Antimicrobial Defense: Quantum Dot Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles with Light Sensitivity and Antimicrobial Properties"

Symposium S "Electronic, Photonic, Nano, Low-Dimensional and Quantum Materials Nanomaterials of the Future: Advancements in Energy and Sensing"

* Jan Paczesny - talk "From unusual building blocks to responsive 2D systems at the air/water interface"

* Enkhlin Ochirbat - talk "Array-based Polymer-Phage Biosensors for Detection and Differentiation of Bacteria"

Symposium T "Electronic, Photonic, Nano, Low-Dimensional and Quantum Materials Smart Materials for Nanoelectronics - Nanophotonics & European Doctorate Network: Pcam (Physics And Chemistry of Advanced Materials) Summer School 2025"

* Gunjan Tiwari - talk "A finer approach towards 1D microparticle chains formation: methods, mechanisms, and applications"

Posters

* Natalia Szczepańska - "Inorganic nanolayers of noble metals and their compounds"

* Ziba Dargahi - "Sonochemical Synthesis of Cobalt-Doped BaTiO_ Nanoparticles for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalysis"

* Hossein Maleki Ghaleh - "Magnetopiezoelectric Biopolymer Nanocomposites with Quantum Dot Crystals: A Novel Approach for Neural Tissue Engineering"

Bartek Bończak received an award for the best oral presentation. Congrats!

Hossein Maleki-Ghaleh (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences) took part in the Biofabrication 2025 Conference, presenting the talk: “3D Printed Polycaprolactone/Copper-Doped Natural Hydroxyapatite Quantum-Dots Nanocomposite with Superior Osteogenic and Angiogenic Performance in Bone Tissue Engineering”. More information about the conference is available at biofabrication2025.org.

Prof. Jan Paczesny gave an invited talk during the 1st Polish-Italian Conference on Chemistry, Materials and Biomedicine (CMB), held from 17 to 19 September 2025 in Rome. More information about the conference can be found here.

The view is from the window of the venue - the weather was wonderful and Rome is beautiful. Still, the lectures were amazing and everyone enjoyed listening to the talks.

On 1 September 2025, our team began a new OPUS 28 grant funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (2024/55/B/ST5/02500) entitled: “Controlling Reaction-Diffusion Mechanisms for Advanced Self-Assembled Architectures: Periodic Precipitation and Chemical Gardens”.

We are looking for a postdoc and an MSc student. More info here.

The 49th Congress of Polish Physicists was held in Katowice from 5–11 September 2025, organised by the Polish Physical Society and the University of Silesia in Katowice. Prof. Jan Paczesny gave an invited talk during the "Biophysics" session. More information here.

At the IV Bacteriophage Symposium in Gdańsk (4–6 September 2025), Prof. Jan Paczesny gave the inauguration talk. Enkhlin Ochirbat and Bartek Kamiński presented posters. Bartek Kamiński won an award for his poster presentation. Congrats!

Prof. Jan Paczesny and Bartek Kamiński attended the 26th Biennial Evergreen Phage Meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee (USA). Prof. Paczesny gave a talk, while Bartek Kamiński presented a poster. More information about the conference can be found here.

Aleksandra Zacheja is going for an Erasmus scholarship to Lund, Sweden. She will work for a month in the group of Prof. Magnus Gram. When Magnus was a PhD student, he also supervised Jan Paczesny`s work (also within Erasmus).

Kacia Rudko went to Japan within an Erasmus program. She will work in the lab of Prof. Toshinari Maeda at Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Mateusz Grotek defended his thesis. He got an A! Dr Barbara Szczęśniak acted as supervisor and Jan Paczesny and Joanna Dolińska (IChF) supported Mateusz in his work. 

The title of the thesis: "Synteza mikrocząstek i badanie ich zdolności do samoorganizacji w zewnętrznym polu magnetycznym w celu tworzenia hydrodynamicznych układów o właściwościach memrystywnych"

Alma Mater: Warsaw Military University

Bartek Bończak is back as a postdoc. He completed his contract in Milan and is now working within the OPUS 2022/45/B/ST5/01500 grant! Welcome!

On 11 June 2025, the official inauguration of the National Bioimaging Center BioPixel took place on the Nencki Institute campus in Mikołajki. The event marked the opening of a unique research infrastructure, developed by the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology (PAS) in consortium with PCSS and IChB PAN in Poznań.

The inauguration ceremony gathered representatives of science, public administration, and industry, including Prof. Maria Mrówczyńska (Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education), Prof. Marek Konarzewski (President of PAS), and leaders of Polish research institutes and universities. Jan Paczesny, Deputy Director of IChF, took part in the opening ceremony on behalf of the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS.

Pic - Nencki Institute

At the end of May 2025, we had the pleasure of hosting Prof. Jaroslav Katona (University of Novi Sad, Serbia), who visited our institute and delivered two inspiring lectures.

• 29 May 2025, 10:00 — Excellent Chemistry Lecture, Cluster 1, IChF Aula
  Functional colloids

• 30 May 2025, 9:30 — Joint Friday Morning Electrochemistry and Living Materials Tutorial Seminar, conference room
  Biopolymer nanoparticles obtained by agri-food waste valorization

Prof. Katona’s talks attracted a broad audience and sparked lively discussions on colloid science, sustainable materials, and the valorization of agri-food waste.

June is a very exciting month for the team. We have published a number of papers!

Microplastics of Broad Size Range Reduce Bacteriophage Activity in Aqueous Environments

Enkhlin Ochirbat, Rafał Zbonikowski, Michał Folga, Magdalena Bonarowska, Jan Paczesny

J. Phys. Chem. B 2025, 129, 24, 6100–6110 (IF=2.9) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c01316

Unraveling the Influence of the Anchored Headgroup and Ligand Tail Group Length on the Self-Assembly of ZnO NCs at the Air–Water Interface

Aleksandra Borkenhagen, Małgorzata Wolska-Pietkiewicz, Ilona Binkiewicz, Łukasz Richter, Rafał Zbonikowski, Jan Paczesny, Janusz Lewiński

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025, 17, 24, 36212–36225 (IF=8.2) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.5c07324

Synergistic co-assembly of nanoparticles on patterned polyelectrolyte surfaces via magnetic and electrostatic interactions

Tomasz Mazur, Łukasz Mazur, Dorota Lachowicz, Aleksander Piasecki, Konrad Giżyński, Michał Szuwarzyński

Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2025, 433, 127959 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2025.127959

Amino Acid–Based Self-Assembled Supramolecular Structures: From Pathological Implications to Biomedical Applications

Pooja Sharma, Prabhjot Singh, Neelam, Nishima Wangoo

ChemBioChem 2500228. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202500228

Modeling breast cancer dynamics through modulable small Vessel Environment Bioreactor (sVEB)

Fabio Maiullari, Maria Grazia Ceraolo, Dario Presutti, Nicole Fratini, Matteo Galbiati, Alessandra Fasciani, Konrad Giżyński, Salma Bousselmi, Francesca Megiorni, Cinzia Marchese, Piotr Kasprzycki, Karol Karnowski, Alessandro Talone, Gaspare Varvaro, Davide Peddis, Marco Costantini, Claudia Bearzi, Roberto Rizzi

Biomaterials, 2025, 123441 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123441

Congratulations to all coauthors!

Gunjan published her first paper! Congrats! The work is a collaborative effort with the group of Prof. Rozynek from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.

A simple and scalable method to create beaded chains of conductive microparticles, 1D structures with unique physical properties and promising applications, was developed. Using a liquid meniscus at the tip of an electrode, we electrically extract and assemble particles into freestanding chains. Our study reveals the key physical factors affecting structure formation and stability, enabling reliable fabrication. This breakthrough lays the groundwork for practical applications in electronics, soft robotics, and additive manufacturing.

Single-Particle-Thick Microstructures Fabricated through Controlled Withdrawal of Particles from a Dispersion Meniscus

Harkavyi, Y.; Tiwari, G.; Rozynek, Z.

Mater. Des. 2025, 255, 114160, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114160

This has been a very intensive month for us so far. Yet another paper has been accepted! 

Phage/nanoparticle cocktails for a biocompatible and environmentally friendly antibacterial therapy

Mateusz Wdowiak, Sada Raza, Mateusz Grotek, Rafał Zbonikowski, Julita Nowakowska, Maria Doligalska, Ningjing Cai, Zhi Luo, Jan Paczesny

Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 2025, 109, 129 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-025-13526-x

New publication in Soft Matter!

We are pleased to announce that a new article has been published in the journal Soft Matter, resulting from a collaboration between the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IChF PAN), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM), and CADENAS P.S.A.

The publication, titled “Experimental and FEM simulation study of compressive deformation of solder microballs and particle chains”, was co-authored by Mr. Yaroslav Harkavyi (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, UAM), Dr. Konrad Giżyński (IChF PAN, Living Materials group) and Prof. Zbigniew Rozynek (UAM/CADENAS P.S.A.).

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of how individual solder microballs and aligned particle chains respond to compressive loading, combining detailed experimental force–deformation measurements with finite-element simulations. In particular, Dr. Giżyński led the FEM modelling using the Johnson–Cook material law to capture the effects of strain rate and temperature on deformation behaviour.

You can read the full article here:
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM01499E

Congratulations to all the authors — we look forward to seeing how these findings will inform the design of next-generation microstructured electronic components.

We are on roll! The next paper coming from the group is out. Congrats!

Protecting Bacteriophages Under UV Irradiation with Brilliant Blue FCF for Targeted Bacterial Control

Wdowiak, M., Magiera, A., Tomczyńska, M., Adamkiewicz, W., Stellacci, F., Paczesny, J.
Biofilm, 2025, 9, 100286 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100286

Yet another paper from the group! 

Engineering Hydrophobic and Electrostatic Interactions for Selective Inactivation of Bacteriophages by Mixed-Ligand Nanoparticles

Raza, S.; Mente, P.; Kamiński, B.; Bończak, B.; Maleki-Ghaleh, H.; Vignesh, V.; Paczesny, J.
Nanoscale, 2025, 17, 12929-12936 https://doi.org/10.1039/D5NR00612K

Rafał  Zbonikowski published a paper! Congrats!

What influences the number of citations of scientific articles? Study on colloid and interface science

Zbonikowski, R.
Scientometrics, 2025, 130, 2577–2593 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-025-05311-4

New publication in Materials & Design!

We are pleased to announce that a new article has been published in the prestigious journal Materials & Design, resulting from a collaboration between the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IChF PAN) and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

The publication, titled “Fabrication of a new type of electrically conductive micro-tracks via mechanical compression of beaded structures”, was co-authored by Dr. Konrad Giżyński (IChF PAN, Living Materials group), Prof. Zbigniew Rozynek (CADENAS p.s.a. / UAM), and PhD student at UAM, Mr. Yaroslav Harkavyi.

The article presents an innovative approach to fabricating electrically conductive micro-tracks using mechanically compressed beaded structures made of microparticles. Our collaborator, Dr. Giżyński, was responsible for the computer simulations of the phenomenon described in the paper.

We invite you to read the full article at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525004058

Congratulations to all the Authors — we wish you continued research success!

Exciting news! Our study on how microplastics impact bacteriophage activity was named a Top Viewed Article in the Journal of Environmental Quality — a great recognition of our team’s contribution to environmental virology and pollutant research. We’re grateful to all the authors for their valuable efforts and collaboration on this work.

Jan Paczesny gave invited talk during The Eighteenth Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Bio-microsensing Technology (18th JKBT) focusing on "Next-Generation Biotechnology in An Era of Dramatic Change". The event wass held in Kitakiyushiu (Japan) but Jan was connected online ( : (  )