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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, University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Dr Luis A. Pérez-Maqueda, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla, C.S.I.C., Spain

Prof. Piotr Kustrowski, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Poland

Dr Istvan Boldog, Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany

Prof. Faouzi Ayari – Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunisia

Five of the most important projects

Programme: GA – Standard Projects, Project name: Syntéza a charakterizace kovových nanočástic zapouzdřených v zeolitu pro katalytické aplikace (Synthesis and Characterisation of Metal Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Zeolite for Catalytic Applications), Provider: GA0 – Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: ��ɫֱ�� / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Roman Bulánek, Ph.D., Project period: 2024–2026.

Programme: GA – Standard Projects, Project name: Fyzikální vlastnosti a termické chování chalkogenidových tenkých vrstev připravených z roztoku a termickým napařováním: Levné materiály pro IČ 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: ��ɫֱ�� / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Ing. Jaroslav Barták, Ph.D., Project period: 2024–2026.

Programme: GA – Excellence in basic research, Project name: Vývoj nových nanoporézních adsorbentů a katalyzátorů (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. Jiří Čejka, DrSc., Project period: 2012–2018.

Programme: TA – The ALPHA programme for the support of applied research and experimental development, Project name: Technologie pro výrobu pokročilých nanostrukturních SiO2 vláken (Technology for the Production of Advanced Nanostructured SiO₂ fibres), Provider: TACR – Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, Main beneficiary: ��ɫֱ�� / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Dr Ing. Jan M. Macák, Project period: 2014–2016.

Programme: GA – Standard Projects, Project name: Fotokatalyzátory s heteropřechodem a fotokatalyzátory TiO2 současně dopované kovy a nekovy pro environmentální fotokatalytické 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: ��ɫֱ�� / Faculty of Chemical Technology, Principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Libor Čapek, Ph.D., Project period: 2020–2022. 

Five of the most important scientific publications or patents of the team in the last five years

BARTÁK Jaroslav, MÁLEK Jiří, 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

MÁLEK Jiří. 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

DUBNOVÁ Lada, ZVOLSKÁ Magdalena, EDELMANNOVÁ Miroslava, MATĚJOVÁ Lenka, RELI Martin, DROBNÁ Helena, KUŚTROWSKI Piotr, KOČÍ Kamila, ČAPEK 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, KUBŮ Martin, MAZUR Michal, BULÁNEK Roman, ČEJKA Jiří, 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, BULÁNEK Roman, BLUDSKÝ Ota, RUBEŠ 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

MACÁK Jan, HROMÁDKO Luděk, BULÁNEK Roman, KOUDELKOVÁ 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, BULÁNEK 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 editor’s choice for the “Hot topic collection” and the design of the journal issue cover.

ČAPEK Libor laureate of the 2004 prize of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for excellent students