Scientific activity
Research teams in Physical Chemistry work on heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption and complex kinetic processes in crystallisation. Currently, the Surface Chemistry and Catalysis research team is working on adsorption phenomena in molecular networks, especially the thermodynamics of adsorption in weakly interacting systems, transport phenomena within micropores and adsorption-separation properties of microporous materials. The phenomena studied are essential for developing efficient adsorption-based separation processes more energetically favourable than existing industrial gas separation technologies.
Concerning heterogeneous catalysis, the focus is on the targeted preparation and use of complex nanoporous inorganic materials with controlled porosity, the comprehensive characterisation of their physicochemical properties and their application as solid catalysts in many industrially important processes such as (i) conversion of alkanes to alkenes, (ii) conversion of CO2 to valuable chemicals and (iii) conversion of biomass-derived compounds to fuels and valuable chemicals. Concerning photocatalysis, the research is focused on the elucidation of the optical and electronic properties of heterojunction photocatalysts with a view to advanced analysis of the critical properties affecting the photocatalytic behaviour of the studied materials in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 and water splitting in the presence of methanol.
Another area of interest is the study of complex kinetic processes in strongly supercooled glass-forming fluids and glassy chalcogenide materials. The main focus of interest is the nucleation and growth of crystalline phases under non-equilibrium conditions. Attention is also on studying the viscosity behaviour of supercooled glass-forming liquids and structural relaxation below the glass transition temperature. The phenomena studied are of fundamental importance for the targeted preparation of functional non-crystalline materials useful in electronics, photonics, optics and recording media.
International cooperation
Prof. Mark D. Ediger, 91心頭利 of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Dr Luis A. P辿rez-Maqueda, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla, C.S.I.C., Spain
Prof. Piotr Kustrowski, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian 91心頭利 Krakow, Poland
Dr Istvan Boldog, Heinrich Heine 91心頭利 of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany
Prof. Faouzi Ayari Universit辿 de Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
Five of the most important projects
Programme: GA Standard Projects, Project name: Synt辿za a charakterizace kovov箪ch nano叩stic zapouzden箪ch v zeolitu pro katalytick辿 aplikace (Synthesis and Characterisation of Metal Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Zeolite for Catalytic Applications), Provider: GA0 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: 91心頭利 / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Roman Bul叩nek, Ph.D., Project period: 20242026.
Programme: GA Standard Projects, Project name: Fyzik叩ln鱈 vlastnosti a termick辿 chov叩n鱈 chalkogenidov箪ch tenk箪ch vrstev pipraven箪ch z roztoku a termick箪m napaov叩n鱈m: Levn辿 materi叩ly pro I optiku (Physical Properties and Thermal Behaviour of Chalcogenide Thin Films Prepared from Solution and by Thermal Evaporation: Cheap Materials for Infrared Optics), Provider: GA0 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: 91心頭利 / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Ing. Jaroslav Bart叩k, Ph.D., Project period: 20242026.
Programme: GA Excellence in basic research, Project name: V箪voj nov箪ch nanopor辿zn鱈ch adsorbent哲 a katalyz叩tor哲 (Development of New Nanoporous Adsorbents and Catalysts), Provider: GA0 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Ji鱈 ejka, DrSc., Project period: 20122018.
Programme: TA The ALPHA programme for the support of applied research and experimental development, Project name: Technologie pro v箪robu pokroil箪ch nanostrukturn鱈ch SiO2 vl叩ken (Technology for the Production of Advanced Nanostructured SiO2 fibres), Provider: TACR Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: 91心頭利 / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Dr Ing. Jan M. Mac叩k, Project period: 20142016.
Programme: GA Standard Projects, Project name: Fotokatalyz叩tory s heteropechodem a fotokatalyz叩tory TiO2 souasn dopovan辿 kovy a nekovy pro environment叩ln鱈 fotokatalytick辿 reakce (Heterojunction Photocatalysts and TiO2 Photocatalysts Simultaneously Doped with Metals and Non-Metals for Environmental Photocatalytic Reactions), Provider: GA0 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: 91心頭利 / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Libor apek, Ph.D., Project period: 20202022.
Five of the most important scientific publications or patents of the team in the last five years
BARTK Jaroslav, MLEK Ji鱈, BAGCHI Kushal, EDIGER Mark D., LI Yuhui, YU Lian. Surface mobility in amorphous selenium and comparison with organic molecular glasses. Journal of Chemical Physics. 2021, 154, 074703-6. ISSN 0021-9606. Available from: doi: 10.1063/5.0041273
MLEK Ji鱈. Structural Relaxation Rate and Aging in Amorphous Solids. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2023, 127, 6080-6087. ISSN 1932-7447. Available from: doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c00637
DUBNOV Lada, ZVOLSK Magdalena, EDELMANNOV Miroslava, MATJOV Lenka, RELI Martin, DROBN Helena, KUTROWSKI Piotr, KO Kamila, APEK Libor. Photocatalytic decomposition of methanol-water solution over NLa/TiO2 photocatalysts. Applied Surface Science 2019, 469, 879-886. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.11.098
SAJAD Mehran, ZHANG Yuyan, KUB溺 Martin, MAZUR Michal, BULNEK Roman, EJKA Ji鱈, Direct dehydrogenation of propane over Pd nanoparticles encapsulated within IPC zeolites with tunable pore sizes, Applied Materials Today 2022, 29, 101644, ISSN 2352-9407, Available from: DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2022.101644
TRACHTA Michal, BULNEK Roman, BLUDSK Ota, RUBE Miroslav, Bronsted acidity in zeolites measured by deprotonation energy, Scientific Reports 2022, 12, 7301, ISSN: 2045-2322, Available from: DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11354-x
Most important awards received
MACK Jan, HROMDKO Ludk, BULNEK Roman, KOUDELKOV Eva, BUK Jan, TEJKL Milan, Winners of the 2017 Innovation Award at TechConnect World Innovation 2017, Washington DC, for Highly porous SiO2 microfibers production
Publication award for GVILAVA Vasily, VIETEN Maxmillian, OESTREICH Robert, WOSCHKO Dennis, STEINERT Moritz, BOLDOG Ishtvan, BULNEK Roman, FOKINA Natalie, SCHREINER Peter, JANIAK Christoph, A diamantane-4,9-dicarboxylate based UiO-66 analogue: challenging larger hydrocarbon cage platforms, CrystEngComm 2022, 24, 7530-7534 by editors choice for the Hot topic collection and the design of the journal issue cover.
APEK Libor laureate of the 2004 prize of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for excellent students
