The professional activities of the department are very broad and include, in particular, research in the following areas:

  • Analytical and Materials Chemistry,
  • Physico-Chemical Processes 
  • Environmental Protection in Industry.

In the field of analytical chemistry and materials chemistry, the department conducts research on:

  • Photocatalytically active materials based on g-C3N4
  • Photocatalytically active composite materials based on clays and metal oxides and sulfides
  • Graphene, graphene oxide based composites for photocatalytic applications.
  • Clay/Ag based antibacterial materials
  • Conducting polymers based on polyaniline and polypyrrole
  • Conductive polymer/phyllosilicate composite materials
  • Preparation and analysis of nanomaterials
  • Sorbents based on hydrotalcites and fine-grained metallurgical wastes
  • Electrochemical processes in ionic melts and concentrated solutions
  • Research on adsorption of gases and vapours on carbonaceous materials
  • Study of solid-gas phase reactions with subsequent detection of the resulting products
  • Preparation of model blast furnace slag samples by sol-gel method
  • Spectrophotometric determination of phosphate and copper in aqueous solutions
  • Profile analysis of metal surface layers
  • Ecotoxicity tests of aqueous leachates
  • Rheology of non-Newtonian liquids
  • Multiphase hydrodynamics of liquid-gas and liquid systems
  • Microprocess engineering
  • 3D printing of microfluidic devices

In the field of physicochemical processes, the department is the only department in the country that has been involved for a long time in the:

  • Development and characterization of metallic materials for hydrogen storage / hydrogen applications (HSM)
  • Development and characterization of materials for thermal energy storage (HTF and PCM)
  • Development and characterization of energetic materials (EM) usable as rocket fuel for space applications
  • Thermophysical, thermodynamic, and kinetic studies of materials and processes
  • Acquisition, refinement, and verification of thermophysical, thermodynamic, and kinetic data over a wide temperature range (from -120 °C to 2000 °C)
  • Study of a wide spectrum of materials, e.g.:
    • Metal alloys: advanced steels, low-order Fe-C alloys, solders, Mg alloys, nickel-based superalloys, Ti alloys (TiNi, TiAl, …), cobalt alloys, magnetic materials, Ta-Mn, Al, Zr-based alloys, and other ferrous and non-ferrous alloys
    • Oxide systems and other inorganic materials: slags, glasses, ceramics, composite materials
    • Biomaterials: waxes, oils
  • Measurement of viscosity, surface, and interfacial tensions of metallic and other inorganic (especially oxide) materials
  • Calculation of thermophysical, thermodynamic, and kinetic data using advanced software for comprehensive and accurate description of material behavior
  • Creation of a proprietary database of thermophysical, thermodynamic, and kinetic data for the above-specified materials
  • Enhancement of thermodynamic and kinetic databases used in computational software
  • Application of data for simulation and optimization of casting, solidification, and other industrial processes

In the field of environmental protection in industry, the department's staff deals with the following topics:

  • possibilities of using solid industrial waste mixed with clay materials for 3D printing of building components
  • possibilities of reducing specific CO2 production from waste incineration flue gases by separating and recycling metal parts from bottom ash in order to reduce the need to purchase emission permits
  • characterization of suspended particulate matter transport using neutron activation analysis
  • air pollutant dispersion from industrial sources, transport and domestic heating
  • the use of mathematical models and special monitoring (stations on former mining towers, drones and airships, biomonitoring)
  • measurement of the transboundary transport of air pollutants
  • optimisation of the energy recovery process
  • research into the possibility of using different types of low-cost additives to reduce the content of selected pollutants from the flue gas stream such as SO2, HCl, HF, NOx, PCDD/F, PCBs
  • intensification of the biogas production process with a focus on increasing the methane content
  • research on the purification of biogas from anaerobic digestion of bio-waste
  • Research on the possibilities of biohydrogen production by dark anaerobic digestion of bio-waste
  • Research on the process of hygienization of sewage sludge from pathogenic microorganisms