Lukáš Tomaník Publishes in Chemical Science and JACS Au
Dr. Lukáš Tomaník, a former student of the Department of Physical Chemistry at University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, is returning to UCT Prague after a two-year stay at the prestigious Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society. As part of the return phase of his Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR) project, he joins the Department of Analytical Chemistry as an assistant professor. His work in liquid photoelectron spectroscopy, which earned him the Zdeněk Herman Award 2023, is now resulting in publications in leading international journals.
In February, his paper was published in Chemical Science, where he serves as corresponding author and introduces ESCAL — a method for chemical analysis of liquids based on electron spectroscopy. The study demonstrates how binding energies in aqueous solutions can reliably identify functional groups, carbon oxidation states, and secondary effects across one to two chemical bonds. This represents an important step toward establishing a dedicated reference database for liquids, analogous to those commonly used in NMR spectroscopy.
In May, another paper authored by Dr. Tomaník appeared in JACS Au, again with him as corresponding author. In this work, he uses the ultrafast nature of photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the behavior of biologically relevant acids in solution. Together, these publications highlight how Dr. Tomaník is pushing photoelectron spectroscopy beyond gases and solid materials into realistic liquid systems, with promising applications in analytical chemistry and biochemistry.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2026/sc/d5sc09061j