List of Abstracts 2016: WORKSHOP
Date: October 20, 2016
TESCAN is one of the global suppliers of scientific instruments. The company has built its reputation and brand name by designing and manufacturing high-performance scanning electron microscopes, dual beam systems and special solutions for a wide range of applications in different fields of science and industry.
TESCAN keeps continuously improving its products creating a competitive advantage for its customers. TESCAN is involved in top research projects establishing cooperation with leading companies in the field of electron microscopy and microanalysis. As a result, TESCAN’s instruments and innovative solutions have gained a solid presence in the world of nano- and micro-technology.
The research infrastructure provides a platform for the efficient research and advanced applications of novel nanomaterials in the specified fields and supports the projects in basic as well as applied research. It is designed as a complete service for users on a national and international scale from academia, applied research area and commercial enterprises, opening access to unique equipment, the most advanced expertise and best practice including the state of the art methodology.
The hosting institution of the infrastructure provides services for the partners of the project and for the external users in the following fields:
1. Synthesis and design of new multifunctional nanomaterials for environment protection: This field encompasses the conceptually novel nanostructured materials with the potential for application in innovative technologies, such as low dimensional materials and their composites, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, thin nanostructured layers, nanofibers, microemulsions and micellar solution.
2. Heterogeneous catalysis for environmental protection: The main attention is devoted to nanomaterials for catalytic degradation of pollutants in water, soil and air, nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts for the abatement of pollutants from industrial processes and automotive transport and to novel “clean” catalytic processes for chemical production.
3. Effective photocatalytic technologies: The users are provided with the scientific backgroud and the up-to-date experimental techniques necessary for mastering nanostructured materials for photocatalysis, including functional surfaces for environmental protection, thin photocatalytic films for direct solar splitting of water and hybrid materials combining photocatalysts and heterogeneous catalysts, which are essential for the development of effective photocatalytic processes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.
The environmental research in the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM, www.rcptm.com) is focused on the development of nanomaterials and technologies applicable in heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis (Chem. Rev. 16, 3722, 2016; Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 7540, 2015). A significant part of the scientific activities aims to the synthesis and applications of zero-valent iron nanoparticles and ferrate(VI) in environmentally friendly reductive and oxidative water treatment technologies (Acc. Chem. Res. 48, 182, 2015). The carbon based hybrid materials are studied for the use in water treatment, energy materials, bio-magnetic and separation technologies (Angew. Chem. 55, 1178, 2016; Chem. Rev. 116, 5464, 2016; Nat. Commun. 7, 12879, 2016). Nanocrystalline iron oxides and their composites are tested as magnetically separable catalysts, photoanodes in technologies of direct solar splitting of water or Li-ion batteries (ACS Nano 9, 7113, 2015). The formation of nanoparticles in the environment and their eco-toxicity are also systematically investigated (Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 8410, 2015). RCPTM also disposes with unique facilities for (nano)materials and environmental research involving e.g. HR-TEM with the highest resolution among the microscopic facilities installed in the Czech Republic with the first-rank chemical mapping (EELS, EDS), UHV STM or combined AFM-Raman spectroscopy allowing the simultaneous information on topology and chemistry of surfaces. Similarly, RCPTM has built the exceptional laboratory for analyses in external magnetic fields including PPMS, SQUID magnetometry, in-field Mossbauer spectroscopy, EPR and NMR techniques. Finally, the complex chemical and structural analyses of nanomaterials are provided by state-of-the-art X-ray techniques (XPS, XRD, XRF). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.
There is a strong tradition of research of electrospinning process and related material research at the Technical University of Liberec. Professors RNDr. Oldřich Jirsák and RNDr. David Lukáš contributed most to the reputation of Liberec industrial region as a center of nanofibers research, production and application. Although most of the nanofiber research outputs are still directed to its original area in the textile industry, there is a noticeably growing interest in employment of polymeric nanofibers e.g. in water cleaning industry, filtration technologies or tissue engineering.
Polymeric nanofibers with large surface area are well known to catch all the laboratory air organic impurities present during the electrospinning process. The presentation will focus on sorption properties of nanofibers and the question of nanofibers applicability in organic chemical analysis. Specifically, the possibility of making organic analysis greener with nanofiber solid phase micro extraction (nano-SPME) will be discussed. Nano-SPME has been described as a promising approach in case of polyamide, polyetherimide and polyacrylate-polyethylene glycol copolymer, whereby environmental pollutants served as model analytes. Possibilities in nano-SPME further development (e.g. lab-made concept, SPME geometry, fiber thermal stability, on-line derivatizations) will be addressed.
Currently, there are many other nanomaterials-related research activities taking action at the Technical university of Liberec (TUL), which are concentrated in a dedicated Institute for nanomaterials, advanced technologies and innovations (CxI). Examples on study of toxicity of nanomaterials, biocompatible nanostructured surface synthesis, engineered reactivity of iron nanoparticles and electric current supported magnetic nanoparticles groundwater migration will be presented. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.
The NanoEviCz project LM2015073 is research infrastructure with six academic institutions. The project creates the platform usable for the partners of the project as well as for external academic institutions focusing on nanomaterials and nanocomposites for environmental and related applications.
The part of the research interest of our institute is developing of nanomaterials and nanocomposites based on 2D materials as graphene and their inorganic analogues, inorganic metal oxides eventually doped by the metals for large scale of applications. The examples of use are in the field of photocatalyses, degradations of pollutants, pesticides, CWA, sorption of radionuclides etc. Therefore, the institute is equipped with the excellent techniques and fine methodologies offered in this project. The microscopic technics: AFM, HRSEM, HRTEM; chromatographic: GC/MS; spectroscopic: FTIR + DRIFT degradation VOC, DXR Raman microscope; XRD: Multipurpose X-ray powder diffractometer; surface characteristic: Surface Area and Pore Size Analyzer-BET; reactors: Photocatalytic degradation liquid phase; Partical size distribution: Particle Size Distribution Laser Scaterring using ZEN 1600 equipment; sample preparation: Supercritical Drying Procedure, Power Tome Ultramicrotome, Precision Ion Polishing System, Precision Etching Coating System.
The aim of this project is to support the cooperation both national and especially with international research academic institutions. During the first year, we managed to develop 19 cooperation among which 3 are with foreign partners. This cooperation allowed us to published 4 papers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.
J. E. Purkyně University offers the following open access research service under the research infrastructure NanoEnviCz:
- Surface engineering – the use of plasma technology and combination of plasma and chemical technology for functionalization of surfaces and deposition of thin films, nanoparticles and nanorods on solid substrates (plasma reactors in various configurations are available including fluid bed reactor for plasma treatment of powders)
- Specific analysis of surface chemistry and surface properties (XPS spectroscopy and electrokinetic measurements) and structure and phase analysis using XRD.
- Synthesis of dendrimer based nanostructures usable as drug carriers, biosensing media and complete development of biosensors for body fluid analysis and/or for environmental applications.
- Computer aided nanostructure design – based on molecular modeling
- Laboratory – scale synthesis of nanoparticulate metal – oxide based materials
- Functional testing of the photocatalytic activity of nanomaterials in a batch arrangement including an identification of reaction products and intermediates
- Testing the sorption ability of nanomaterials for a wide range of inorganic and organic pollutants
- Preparation and testing of reactive sorbents for the degradation of highly toxic contaminants including organophosphate pesticides and chemical warfare agents
- Examination of the enzyme – mimetic (e.g. phosphatase) activity of nanomaterials
- Several laboratories for advanced environmental analyses including determinations of trace organic pollutants, some laboratories accredited by ČIA.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.
Engineered nanomaterials (ENM) exhibit unique physico-chemical properties, which are used in many technologies and biomedical applications. The development of these applications leads to increased intentional as well as unintentional human exposure. This fact causes necessity of understanding of possible adverse effects on human health and environment. Quick development of nanotoxicology as special discipline of toxicology in the last decade resulted in the production and the publication of the huge quantity of data on toxic effects of various nanomaterials. However, most of this data are useless to make general conclusions for the reasonable legislation. In this presentation we will demonstrate battery of toxicity tests available in the Department of Genetic Toxicology and Nanotoxicology of the Institute of Experimental Medicine CAS in Prague within the research infrastructure NanoEnviCZ. These methods include various tests of cytotoxicity, oxidative damage of biomolecules (DNA, proteins and lipids), genotoxicity (Comet assay), clastogenic effects (micronucleus test and cytogenetic analysis by FISH). To get more insight into the mechanism of ENM biological effects, the toxicogenomic methods (microarrays and next generation sequencing) and RT PCR are used. All these tests are available to all, particularly external users from research as well as industrial area via website www.nanoenvicz.cz. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2015073.