Sasha Yakovlev

Table of contents

About my scientific career in few words

Throughout my scientific career, I feel like I’ve changed directions several times. I started with the synthesis of inorganic crystalline compounds using hydrothermal methods, moved on to biomedical research, and eventually focused on inkjet printing of optically functional materials and materials science. It was a long and complex path, fraught with technical challenges and the inherent difficulties of conducting science in Russia. It often involved navigating between the corrupt schemes of my superiors and pure academic science, balancing “how to acquire reagents and equipment” with building connections among equally desperate scientists, all while trying not to burn out from unnecessary bureaucratic tasks. This career spanned many years, taught me a great deal, and helped me develop numerous skills, solidifying me as a multidisciplinary specialist and a well-rounded individual. In 2017, I left to work for a startup in Germany, effectively abandoning my academic career due to the corrupt schemes of my supervisors (in 2024, they were finally charged with large-scale financial fraught). I never completed my PhD, despite writing it on two topics—analytical chemistry (hydrothermal synthesis of crystalline silicates) and materials science (inkjet printing of optical materials). At this point, I feel like that part of my life is far behind me, yet it’s still crucial for me to reflect on this chapter in its entirety since I continue to actively draw on it. I believe I managed to publish quite effectively under extremely challenging conditions, wrote several patents, and made discoveries and inventions that pushed the boundaries of human knowledge. Additionally, I helped many students and facilitated their permanent relocation from Russia, which I consider a significant contribution.

Team leading

Inkjet lab At ITMO University, I also served as a team leader for students. I am proud of this part of my scientific career as well. It allowed each student to write an international paper and successfully leave the Russian Federation to secure positions abroad. This experience provided me with significant life experience. This role contributed greatly to my personal development, helping me understand what I want to pursue in life and in my career. It also helped me build many scientific connections and taught me important life lessons, including how to work in a flow state. It was a very challenging period, both physically and mentally, but it was undoubtedly an interesting one.

Spin-off projects in ITMO University

As part of my scientific work, I developed a method for applying nanoparticle coatings that have a high refractive index and can create protective layers for embossed holograms. During an accelerator program, I launched a pilot production of special solutions and patented the samples and the application principle. Additionally, I developed ink for inkjet printing that enables printing on holographic surfaces, allowing for digital masking of holographic images. This technology was a breakthrough for its time and received significant attention in the media. ITMO accelerator in Belgium

Innocolloids spin-off presentation project

Protective coating for the holography

My work in news

  1. Inkjet hologram printing now possible at phys.org
  2. Holograms can now be printed on an ordinary inkjet printer by Techradar.com
  3. Printing holograms with an inkjet printer by Drupa
  4. Inkjet hologram by N+1
  5. Nanoparticle Ink Lets Regular Inkjet Printers Produce Glowing Holograms by ITMO News

List of publications

  1. Inkjet color printing by interference nanostructures by A.V. Yakovlev, V.A. Milichko, V.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Vinogradov. ACS Nano, 10(3):3078–3086, 2016.
    See publication
  2. Sol–gel assisted inkjet hologram patterning by A.V. Yakovlev, V.A. Milichko, V.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Vinogradov. Advanced Functional Materials, 25(47):7375–7380, 2015.
    See publication
  3. Inkjet fabrication of highly efficient luminescent Eu-doped ZrO2 nanostructures by A.D. Furasova, V. Ivanovski, A.V. Yakovlev, V.A. Milichko, V.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Vinogradov. Nanoscale, 9:13069–13078, 2017.
    See publication
  4. Inkjet printing of TiO2/AlOOH heterostructures for the formation of interference color images with high optical visibility by A.V. Yakovlev, V.A. Milichko, E.A. Pidko, V.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Vinogradov. Scientific Reports, 6:37090, 2016.
    See publication
  5. Inkjet printing of specular holograms based on a coffee-ring effect concave structure by V. Slabov, A.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Yakovlev. J. Mater. Chem. C, 6:5269–5277, 2018.
    See publication
  6. UV-curable hybrid organic-inorganic composite ink with a high refractive index for printing of interference images and holograms by E.A. Eremeeva, A.V. Yakovlev, E.A. Pidko, and A. Vinogradov. J. Mater. Chem. C, 2017.
    See publication
  7. Reversible sol-gel-sol medium for enzymatic optical biosensors by S.M. Safaryan, A.V. Yakovlev, E.A. Pidko, A.V. Vinogradov, and V.V. Vinogradov. J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017.
    See publication
  8. Inkjet printing of the chromogen free oxidase based optical biosensors by S.M. Safaryan, A.V. Yakovlev, A.V. Vinogradov, and V.V. Vinogradov. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 251:746–752, 2017.
    See publication
  9. Inkjet printing of transparent sol-gel computer generated holograms by A.V. Yakovlev, E.A. Pidko, and A.V. Vinogradov. Opt. Mater. Express, 6(12):3794–3803, 2016.
    See publication
  10. Adsorption and in vitro release of vitamin B1 by synthetic nanoclays with montmorillonite structure by O.Yu. Golubeva, S.V. Pavlova, and A.V. Yakovlev. Applied Clay Science, 112–113:10–16, 2015.
    See publication
  11. Solid solutions and thermal transformations in the nanosized LaPO4–YPO4–H2O and LaPO4–LuPO4–H2O systems by L. Mezentseva, A. Osipov, V. Ugolkov, I. Kruchinina, V. Popova, A. Yakovlev, and T. Maslennikova. J. Ceram. Sci. Tech, 5(3):237–244, 2014.
    See publication
  12. Synthesis and study of the biologically active lysozyme–silver nanoparticles–montmorillonite K10 complexes by O.Yu. Golubeva, O.V. Shamova, A.V. Yakovlev, and M.S. Zharkova. Glass Physics and Chemistry, 42(1):87–94, 2016.
    See publication
  13. Studies of the textural-adsorption characteristics of synthetic zeolite with a paulingite structure by O.Yu. Golubeva, N.Yu. Ul’yanova, and A.V. Yakovlev. Glass Physics and Chemistry, 41(6):643–649, 2015.
    See publication
  14. Synthesis of zeolite with paulingite structure by O.Yu. Golubeva, N.Yu. Ul’yanova, and A.V. Yakovlev. Glass Physics and Chemistry, 41(4):413–416, 2015.
    See publication
  15. Optimization of the synthesis and study of stable aqueous dispersions of silver nanoparticles used in medicine by A.V. Yakovlev and O.Yu. Golubeva. Glass Physics and Chemistry, 39(6):643–648, 2013.
    See publication
  16. Colloids for Inkjet Printing of Highly Photoactive Thin Films by A.V. Yakovlev and A.V. Vinogradov. PhD thesis, Sumy State University, 2015.
    See publication
  17. Synthesis optimisation of lysozyme monolayer-coated silver nanoparticles in aqueous solution by A.V. Yakovlev and O.Yu. Golubeva. Journal of Nanomaterials, 2014.
    See publication
  18. Inkjet-ready Sol-gel Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Titania Colloids by A.V. Yakovlev and A.V. Vinogradov. PhD thesis, Sumy State University, 2015.
    See publication
  19. Inkjet printing of alumooxide sol for deposition of antireflecting coatings by E.A. Eremeeva, E.A. Pidko, A.V. Vinogradov, and A.V. Yakovlev. Nauchno-Tekhnicheskii Vestnik Informatsionnykh Tekhnologii, Mekhaniki i Optiki, 17(1):16, 2017.
    See publication

List of patents

  1. Structured Object with Double-Sided Conducting Layers
    Inventor: Antonio Altana, Alexey Yakushenko, Aleksandr Iakovlev
    Priority Date: 2021-09-22
    See patent on Google Patents
  2. Sol-gel dispersion of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide for polygraphic protection
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev, Vasily V. Rigin, Pavel A. Dmitrikov
    Priority Date: 2017-06-23
    See patent on Google Patents
  3. Printed product with protected printing polygraphy methods
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev, Vasily V. Rigin, Pavel A. Dmitrikov
    Priority Date: 2016-03-14
    See patent on Google Patents
  4. Method of ink-jet printing with colorless sol-gel ink for holograms
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev, Valentin A. Milichko
    Priority Date: 2016-02-18
    See patent on Google Patents
  5. Colorless sol-gel ink for ink-jet printing iridescent holographic images
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev, Valentin A. Milichko
    Priority Date: 2016-02-18
    See patent on Google Patents
  6. Method of production sol-gel ink for color interference images
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2015-10-12
    See patent on Google Patents
  7. Printed product with color interference image
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2015-10-12
    See patent on Google Patents
  8. Method for color interference inkjet printing
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2015-10-12
    See patent on Google Patents
  9. Sol-gel inks for color interference inkjet printing
    Inventors: Alexander V. Vinogradov, Vladimir V. Vinogradov, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2015-10-12
    See patent on Google Patents
  10. Method of producing synthetic zeolite of Rho structure
    Inventors: Olga Yu. Golubeva, Natalia Yu. Ulyanova, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2014-09-18
    See patent on Google Patents
  11. Method of producing sorbent for purifying solutions from heavy metal ions
    Inventors: Olga Yu. Golubeva, Natalia Yu. Ulyanova, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev, Maria P. Dyakina
    Priority Date: 2014-04-08
    See patent on Google Patents
  12. Method of obtaining synthetic analogue of paulingite zeolite
    Inventors: Olga Yu. Golubeva, Natalia Yu. Ternovaya, Aleksandr V. Yakovlev
    Priority Date: 2012-11-30
    See patent on Google Patents