Harald Plank from the Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalytics at TU Graz won the 150,000 euro Houska Prize in the "University Research" category with his "3D Nanoprinting" research project.
Austria's largest private research prize, awarded annually by the B&C Private Foundation, goes to TU Graz in 2020: physicist Harald Plank and his team can look forward to receiving the coveted golden trophy and the first-place prize money of 150,000 euros. The prize was awarded yesterday, September 24, in Vienna. A total of 500,000 euros was awarded to application-oriented research projects.
"It is a great success for the researchers and at the same time a wonderful confirmation of TU Graz's efforts to specifically promote top performance. I warmly congratulate Harald Plank and his entire team on this exceptional award," says a delighted Harald Kainz, Rector of TU Graz.
Complex 3D structures in the nanoscale
The researchers led by Harald Plank developed a new type of 3D nanoprinting technology, known as FEBID technology (Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition), for the production of complex, three-dimensional objects at the nanoscale. This new method is intended to open up new areas of application for industry that were previously not possible with conventional 3D printing processes.
This printing process has already been used to produce electrically conductive 3D high-resolution nanoprobes, which are already being used in atomic force microscopes by industrial partners. Future nanoprobes will enable the simultaneous analysis of electrical, magnetic, chemical and optical surface properties, with significantly higher performance than that of alternative, commercially available products.
The successful research work was significantly supported by the Center for Electron Microscopy Graz and the Austrian Cooperative Research in Vienna.
