Dissertation defense of postgraduate student Dmytro Makhota on the development of advanced electrocatalysts for “green” hydrogen energy.
On September 3, 2026, at the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology, at a meeting of the one-time specialized academic council, the dissertation defense of Dmytro Oleksandrovych Makhota, a degree seeker for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Educational and Research Institute “Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology”, in the specialty 102 Chemistry in the field of knowledge 10 Natural Sciences, took place.
The topic of the dissertation research is “Electrochemical Modification of the Surface of Nickel and Its Alloys Using Low-Temperature Eutectic Solvents”.
Academic supervisor – Viacheslav Serhiiovych Protsenko, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Physical Chemistry of the SEI “Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology” of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology.
The one-time specialized academic council included:
- head of the council – Oleksandr Borysovych Velichenko, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology;
- reviewers – Yurii Yevhenovych Sknar, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Processes, Apparatuses and General Chemical Technology of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology; Tetiana Viktorivna Lukianenko, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Physical Chemistry of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology;
- official opponents – Oksana Leonidivna Bersirova, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Senior Researcher, Leading Researcher of the Department of Electrochemical Materials Science and Electrocatalysis of the V.I. Vernadskyi Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv); Kateryna Andriivna Pliasovska, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.
Dmytro Makhota’s scientific research is devoted to one of the current areas of modern electrochemistry – the development of new highly efficient electrocatalysts for the production of “green” hydrogen. The relevance of the work is determined by the need to find new approaches to the development of functional electrode materials capable of ensuring high efficiency of electrochemical processes and meeting modern technological and environmental requirements.
One of the key scientific aspects of the dissertation was the use of low-temperature eutectic solvents (deep eutectic solvents, DES) for the electrochemical modification of the surface of nickel and its alloys. The use of such media opens up new possibilities for controlling the composition, structure, and functional properties of metal surfaces, in particular for the formation of highly efficient electrocatalytic materials.
The theoretical significance of the work lies in expanding the understanding of the kinetics and mechanisms of anodic ionization of metals and alloys in non-aqueous chloride systems. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in creating a scientific basis for the development of new energy-efficient technologies for electrochemical nanostructuring and finishing treatment of metal surfaces, as well as for the creation of electrocatalytic materials based on surfaces modified in DES.
Dmytro Makhota’s work is part of the long-term research agenda of the Department of Physical Chemistry of USUST. Research using low-temperature eutectic solvents for the electrochemical modification of metals and the development of electrocatalysts was carried out within the framework of relevant research projects of the department, in particular, on topics devoted to highly efficient anodic treatment of biostable alloys, electrochemical synthesis of electrocatalysts, and processes for “green” hydrogen energy. In the National Repository of Academic Texts, Dmytro Makhota is listed among the researchers who carried out research projects supervised by Professor Viacheslav Protsenko.
The results of this work were consistently presented in scientific publications. In particular, in 2024, articles involving Dmytro Makhota were published in the journal “Voprosy Khimii i Khimicheskoi Tekhnologii”, devoted to the anodic treatment of nickel and copper-nickel alloy in low-temperature eutectic solvents and their electrocatalytic behavior. In 2025, the same publication featured papers on the electrochemical treatment of nickel-chromium alloy and electropolishing of 12Kh18N10T stainless steel in DES.
The postgraduate student’s scientific work has also been presented at international and national scientific events. As early as 2023, Dmytro Makhota, together with Viacheslav Protsenko and Tetiana Butyrina, studied Ni-Cu-based electrocatalysts modified by anodic treatment in low-temperature eutectic ionic liquids. In 2025, his research was also presented at the SEI USUCT at a scientific roundtable, where the postgraduate student reported on the electropolishing of 12Kh18N10T stainless chromium-nickel steel in low-temperature eutectic solvents.
An important result of the work was also its educational component. The results of the dissertation research have been implemented in the educational process of the SEI USUCT of USUST in the teaching of the disciplines “Fundamentals of Scientific Research”, “Catalysis. Technology of Catalysts and Adsorbents”, “Electrochemical Technologies in the Industry”, “Equipment and Design of Chemical Enterprises”, and “Environmental Protection Technologies” for students pursuing degrees in the specialties 161 “Chemical Technologies and Engineering” and 101 “Ecology”.
The results of the dissertation research have been published in 11 scientific articles in professional journals, 10 of which are indexed in the Scopus and/or Web of Science scientometric databases.
As a result of the open vote, the members of the one-time specialized academic council unanimously supported the decision to award Dmytro Oleksandrovych Makhota the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
We sincerely congratulate Dmytro Oleksandrovych and his academic supervisor, Viacheslav Serhiiovych, the members of the one-time specialized academic council, and all colleagues who contributed to the preparation and organization of the defense on the successful completion of the Doctor of Philosophy degree! We wish them further success in their scientific activities, new significant publications, and practical results that will contribute to the development of modern Ukrainian and global electrochemistry!
More details about the dissertation defense are available via the link
