I. - Basic information

I.1 - Surname

Kováčik

I.2 - Name

Dušan

I.3 - Degrees

doc. Mgr., PhD.

I.4 - Year of birth

1978

I.5 - Name of the workplace

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics Comenius University in Bratislava

I.6 - Address of the workplace

Mlynská dolina F1, 842 48 Bratislava

I.7 - Position

scientific (research and development) employee

I.8 - E-mail address

kovacik@fmph.uniba.sk

I.9 - Hyperlink to the entry of a person in the Register of university staff

https://www.portalvs.sk/regzam/detail/4621

I.10 - Name of the study field in which a person works at the university

Physics

I.11 - ORCID iD

0000-0002-3927-9665

II. - Higher education and further qualification growth

II.1 - First degree of higher education

II.2 - Second degree of higher education

II.a - Name of the university or institution

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics Comenius University in Bratislava

II.b - Year

2001

II.c - Study field and programme

Mathematics, Physics (teaching)

II.3 - Third degree of higher education

II.a - Name of the university or institution

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics Comenius University in Bratislava

II.b - Year

2007

II.c - Study field and programme

Plasma physics

II.4 - Associate professor

II.a - Name of the university or institution

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno

II.b - Year

2018

II.c - Study field and programme

Plasma physics

II.5 - Professor

II.6 - Doctor of Science (DrSc.)

III. - Current and previous employment

III.a - Occupation-position	III.b - Institution	III.c - Duration
scientific (research and development) employee	Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics Comenius University in Bratislava	2004-present
scietific researcher	Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno	2011-2018
associate professor	Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno	2018-present

IV. - Development of pedagogical, professional, language, digital and other skills

IV.a - Activity description, course name, other	IV.b - Name of the institution	IV.c - Year
scientific qualification level IIa	Slovak Academy of Sciences	2017

V. - Overview of activities within the teaching career at the university

V.1 - Overview of the profile courses taught in the current academic year according to study programmes

V.1.a - Name of the profile course	V.1.b - Study programme	V.1.c - Degree	V.1.d - Field of study
Practicum in mechanics and molecular physics	Physics	bachelor's I. degree	Physics
Introduction to the physics of plasma and electrical discharges	Physics	bachelor's I. degree	Physics
Discharges in gases	Plasma physics	master's II. degree	Physics
Plasma-chemical methods of surface treatments	Plasma physics	master's II. degree	Physics

V.2 - Overview of the responsibility for the delivery, development and quality assurance of the study programme or its part at the university in the current academic year

V.3 - Overview of the responsibility for the development and quality of the field of habilitation procedure and inaugural procedure in the current academic year

V.4 - Overview of supervised final theses

V.4.1 - Number of currently supervised theses

V.4.a - Bachelor's (first degree)

V.4.b - Diploma (second degree)

V.4.c - Dissertation (third degree)

V.4.2 - Number of defended theses

V.4.a - Bachelor's (first degree)

V.4.b - Diploma (second degree)

V.5 - Overview of other courses taught in the current academic year according to study programmes

V.5.a - Name of the course	V.5.b - Study programme	V.5.c - Degree	V.5.d - Field of study
Special practicum in plasma physics	Plasma physics	master's II. degree	Physics

VI. - Overview of the research/artistic/other outputs

VI.1 - Overview of the research/artistic/other outputs and the corresponding citations

VI.1.1 - Number of the research/artistic/other outputs

VI.1.a - Overall

275

VI.1.b - Over the last six years

VI.1.2 - Number of the research/artistic/other outputs registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases

VI.1.a - Overall

VI.1.b - Over the last six years

VI.1.3 - Number of citations corresponding to the research/artistic/other outputs

VI.1.4 - Number of citations registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases

VI.1.a - Overall

1490

VI.1.b - Over the last six years

950

VI.1.5 - Number of invited lectures at the international, national level

VI.1.a - Overall

VI.1.b - Over the last six years

VI.2 - The most significant research/artistic/other outputs

M. Černák, Ľ. Černáková, I. Hudec, D. Kováčik, A. Zahoranová, Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge and its applications for in-line processing of low-added-value materials, Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 47 (2009) 22806. doi:10.1051/epjap/2009131

A. Zahoranová, M. Henselová, D. Hudecová, B. Kaliňková, D. Kováčik, V. Medvecká, M. Černák, Effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on the Wheat Seedlings Vigor and on the Inactivation of Microorganisms on the Seeds Surface, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 36 (2015) 397–414. doi:10.1007/s11090-015-9684-z

M. Černák, D. Kováčik, J. Ráhel’, P. Sťahel, A. Zahoranová, J. Kubincová, A. Tóth, Ľ. Černáková, Generation of a high-density highly non-equilibrium air plasma for high-speed large-area flat surface processing, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion. 53 (2011) 124031. doi:10.1088/0741-3335/53/12/124031

Ľ. Černáková, D. Kováčik, A. Zahoranová, M. Černák, M. Mazúr, Surface modification of polypropylene non-woven fabrics by atmospheric-pressure plasma activation followed by acrylic acid grafting, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 25 (2005) 427–437. doi:10.1007/s11090-004-3137-4

D. Kováčik, M. Černák, A. Zahoranová, J. Ráheľ, P. Sťahel, Low-cost, high-speed hydrophilic finishing of light weight polypropylene nonwovens by ambient air plasma, Horizons in World Physics, Vol. 288. - New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2017. S. 85-103. ISBN 978-1-63485-882-3

VI.3 - The most significant research/artistic/other outputs over the last six years

D. Kováčik, P. Šrámková, P. Multáňová, M. Stupavská, S. Siadati, P. Ďurina, A. Zahoranová, Plasma-induced polymerization and grafting of acrylic acid on the polypropylene nonwoven fabric using pulsed underwater diaphragm electrical discharge, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process 44 (2024) 983-1001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-024-10454-y

S. Ďurčányová, Ľ. Slováková, M. Klas, J. Tomeková, P. Ďurina, M. Stupavská, D. Kováčik, A. Zahoranová, Efficacy comparison of three atmospheric pressure plasma sources for soybean seed treatment: plasma characteristics, seed properties, germination, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 43 (2023) 1863–1885. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-023-10387-y

L. Hoppanová, J. Dylíková, D. Kováčik, V. Medvecká, P. Ďurina, S. Kryštofová, D. Hudecová, B. Kaliňáková, Non-thermal plasma induces changes in aflatoxin production, devitalization, and surface chemistry of Aspergillus parasiticus, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 106 (2022)

2107-2119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11828-y

V. Medvecká, J. Surovčík, T. Roch, M. Zahoran, D. Pavliňák, D. Kováčik, ZnO nanofibers prepared by plasma assisted calcination: Characterization and photocatalytic properties, Applied Surface Science 581 (2022), 152384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.152384

V. Medvecká, D. Kováčik, M. Stupavská, T. Roch, A. Kromka, R. Fajgar, A. Zahoranová, M. Černák, Preparation and characterization of alumina submicron fibers by plasma assisted calcination, Ceram. Int. 46 (2020) 22774–22780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.06.044

VI.4 - The most significant citations corresponding to the research/artistic/other outputs

A. Zahoranová, L. Hoppanová, J. Šimončicová, Z. Tučeková, V. Medvecká, D. Hudecová, B. Kaliňáková, D. Kováčik, M. Černák, Effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on Maize Seeds: Enhancement of Seedlings Growth and Surface Microorganisms Inactivation, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 38 (2018) 969–988. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-018-9913-3

T. Homola, J. Matoušek, V. Medvecká, A. Zahoranová, M. Kormunda, D. Kováčik, M. Černák, Atmospheric pressure diffuse plasma in ambient air for ITO surface cleaning, Appl. Surf. Sci. 258 (2012) 7135–7139. doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2012.03.188

VI.5 - Participation in conducting (leading) the most important research projects or art projects over the last six years

VEGA 1/0811/21 (2021-2023), Protective hydrophobic coatings fabricated by plasma polymerization at atmospheric pressure, principal investigator

Hydrophobic surfaces are used in many applications due to their self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, and anti-icing properties. They can be formed using hydrophobic coatings in a number of ways, including the use of low-temperature plasma, which is an environmentally and cost-effective alternative to conventional chemical methods. In recent years, attention has been paid mainly to plasma technologies at atmospheric pressure, due to their simpler technical design and lower financial demands compared to low-pressure plasma. The project aims to study the preparation of hydrophobic or superhydrophobic layers on various surfaces by plasma polymerization at atmospheric pressure. Research will focus to clarify the plasma-chemical processes affecting the plasma polymerization process and a deeper understanding of the physico-chemical mechanisms responsible for the formation of a layer with optimal hydrophobic properties.

https://alis.uniba.sk:8444/search/query?term_1=VEGA+1/0811/21&theme=EPC

VEGA 1/0782/19 (2019-2021),The study of plasma-chemical processes in the preparation of inorganic nanofibers by method of plasma assisted calcination, the co-investigator

The aim of the project is study of plasma assisted calcination (PAC) in the preparation of inorganic nanofibers. The PAC of metal-organic fibers with the use of low-temperature plasma appears to be a prospective alternative to conventional thermal calcination. Thermal calcination is a high temperature (~100°C) long-term (several hours) process for removing of the polymer matrix and oxidation of precursor from polymer/precursor fibers to form inorganic nanofibres. Low-temperature non-equilibrium plasma is a chemically active environment, and with the use of a working gas with high oxidation potential, it is possible to produce ceramic nanofibers in significantly shorter time at lower temperature.

https://alis.uniba.sk:8444/search/query?term_1=vega+1/0782/19&theme=EPC

APVV-16-0216 (2017-2021), Modern plasma technologies for organic agriculture and food industry, the co-investigator

The project focused on the application of low-temperature plasma generated at atmospheric pressure for the treatment of biological material in agriculture and food industry for improvement of germination, growth dynamics and plant vitality, as well as for elimination of undesirable pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of seeds (and fruits). The use of low-temperature plasma is an environmentally and economically appropriate method for the gentle treatment of seeds of plants intended for sowing (cereals, legumes and others) and stored agricultural commodities (especially cereals, nuts, dried fruits) and for the human and animal nutrition and is a preferred alternative, or an additional method to the traditional treatment of seeds with chemical agents.

https://alis.uniba.sk:8444/search/query?term_1=APVV-16-0216&theme=EPC

VEGA 1/0930/17 (2017-2019), Functionalization of polymer surfaces using plasma generated in liquids, the co-investigator

At present, the importance and use of polymeric materials in various applications requiring surface treatment (permanent hydrophilicity, antibacterial treatment, immobilization of functional groups, etc.) is constantly growing. Due to their thermosensitive nature, this is not an easy task. The development and construction of a non-equilibrium plasma source in a liquid medium using a high-voltage pulsed diaphragm discharge was an alternative method of surface treatment of polymer surfaces. The attachment of functional groups with the required properties to the polymer surface has been studied under different plasma generation conditions by modern surface methods and at the same time the physical mechanism of discharge in a liquid medium will be studied. New plasma treatment methods will enable the wider use of polymeric materials in many areas of the textile, automotive, construction and energy industries, such as functional and technical textiles, filter and carrier media, membranes and separators.

https://alis.uniba.sk:8444/search/query?term_1=VEGA+1/0930/17&theme=EPC

VII. - Overview of organizational experience related to higher education and research/artistic/other activities

VIII. - Overview of international mobilities and visits oriented on education and research/artistic/other activities in the given field of study

VIII.a - Name of the institution	VIII.b - Address of the institution	VIII.c - Duration (indicate the duration of stay)	VIII.d - Mobility scheme, employment contract, other (describe)
Institut für Ionenphysik und angewandte Physik der Universität Innsbruck	CT TE025a Natwi - Gebaude, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Rakúsko	16.04.-20.04.2012	cooperation on project SAIA, n.o.
Laird Technologies, Inc.	16401 Swingley Ridge Rd #700, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA	25.04.-01.05.2009	cooperation on project
YKI –Institute for Surface Chemistry	Drottning Kristinas väg 45, 114 28 Stockholm, Švédsko	máj-jún 2006	cooperation on project
TNO Prins Maurits Laboratorium	Nassaulaan 54, 2628 GJ Delft, Holandsko	jún-august 2004	employment contract

IX. - Other relevant facts

IX.a - If relevant, other activities related to higher education or research/artistic/other activities are mentioned

Since January 2011, I have also been working at the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology (DPPT), Faculty of Science MU in Brno, where in 2018, I completed my habilitation in the field of Plasma Physics. For this reason, I am employed part-time at FMPI CU. At DPPT, I am the leader of the research group "Plasma nanotechnologies and bioapplications", the deputy director of the CEPLANT center for applied research, and also the supervisor of 3 doctoral students.

Date of last update

2025-02-14

Name and surname:	doc. Mgr. Dušan Kováčik, PhD.
Document type:	Research/art/teacher profile of a person
The name of the university:	Comenius University Bratislava
The seat of the university:	Šafárikovo námestie 6, 818 06 Bratislava