InstituteofMaterialScience
The Institute of Materials Science has three research laboratories: the Laboratory of Inorganic Materials focusing on building and ceramic materials, the Laboratory of Metals and Corrosion focusing on light alloys and corrosion protection and the Laboratory of Bioplastics dealing with the transformation of biopolymers into industrially usable bioplastics.
Research Laboratories
Research highlights
The project, supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, is a new direction towards sustainable building materials through advanced surface treatments based on lithium silicates and is being solved by Lukáš Kalina's team. The knowledge gained will help predict the lifetime of surface-treated concretes and open up the opportunity to produce more sustainable building materials.
The currently discussed industrial doctorates aim to combine doctoral studies with practical experience. They will strengthen the cooperation between the academic and private spheres, which would benefit both parties, including doctoral students. An example would be the study of Kryštof Koller. TDK Electronics, where his PhD is being conducted, is a world leader in the production of ceramic electronic components.
Vlastimil Bílek and Lukáš Kalina from the Institute of Materials Science focused on the interaction of various organic substances in cement-free alkali-activated materials. Together with a team of experts, they investigated why common organic additives do not work in this alternative to Portland cement and what to replace them with. The findings should help to increase interest in this material and its use in the future.
Our researchers in cooperation with experts from Bogges have come up with a solution for the protection of critical infrastructure objects. They have developed the Ballistic Protection Panel (BOP), which, compared to the alternative in the form of monolithic concrete walls, is more resistant and its installation is possible with human power, without the use of heavy handling equipment. Compared to steel armouring, it is significantly cheaper.
The wafers from end-of-life solar panels contain a number of metals that could be usefully separated or alternatively used in new alloys. Until now, however, there has been no technology to recycle them in an environmentally and economically sound way. The Laboratory of Metals and Corrosion team has offered a solution.
The cement industry accounts for up to 8% of global CO2 production. Our experts have therefore tested ways to reduce the emissions burden of cement production. They used treated diatomaceous earth as an admixture to Portland clinker. Laboratory tests have shown that the new material has properties comparable to traditional cements. However, its production produces significantly less CO2.
Bone healing, for example after tumours, could in the future be made possible by tissue carriers made of biopolymers created by 3D printing. Recipes of polymer blends are being tested by researchers from the Laboratory of Bioplastics for the fourth year. The basis is the biopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, for which the faculty received a patent in 2013. The material is biodegradable and biocompatible - so it has very good prerequisites for use in medicine.
Dextrin adhesive has been used for decades in the industrial production of paper tubes of all kinds - from toilet paper rolls to food packaging to tubes for film wrapping. Its consumption in the Czech Republic reaches several thousand tonnes per year. Scientists at the Materials Research Centre have now developed a new recipe for dextrin glue in bulk form - it is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
A revolution in the textile industry. That is what some people say about Nilmore, a brand that has recently launched a collection of circular clothing. The idea behind the brand is to reuse older pieces of clothing. The company will collect them from its customers, decompose them to the original material and produce new fibres for new clothes. Experts from the Faculty of Chemistry participated in the project by testing the circularity and zero-waste aspects of the process.
