Nanocrystalline metal oxides

RCPTM proudly announces the new project. We were successful in evaluation of new environmental project called “Environmental Friendly Nanotechnologies and Biotechnologies in Water and Soil Treatment” with total costs 14 mil EUR in 8 years. Project intention is to establish the NANOBIOWAT Center connecting potentials of 3 academic and 6 industrial subjects in order to develop and implement ecologically friendly nanotechnologies and biotechnologies for treatment of a variety of water types (ground, drinking, waste and surface water) with possibility to remove organic, inorganic and microbial pollution. Project strategic objective is to reinforce position of the Czech Republic as European leader in the field of water/soil treatment. The strategic objective of the NANOBIOWAT project is to establish the Center realizing a regular transfer of the research and development results into the industrial practice, thus reinforcing the position of the Czech Republic as an European leader in the field of advanced technologies of water and soil treatment which carry an immense potential to be applied at the national and world market. In order to accomplish this strategic objective, new technologies and biotechnologies will be developed, patented, verified and implemented at the market. They will be focused on the treatment of a wide range of waters including groundwater, drinking water, industrial and surface water and for removal of pollutants such as organic and inorganic compounds, heavy metals, radioactive compounds, endocrine disruptors, pescidides and microbial pollution.

The cyanobacteria are currently being considered as one of major threats to water resource worldwide. There has been a lot of effort devoted to cope with this problem proposing various technologies being effective, cheap and ecologically friendly to the ecosystem. Recently, a novel method meeting all the above-mentioned requirements has been proposed by the researchers of RCPTM and published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal (see Marsalek et al., Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46, 2316-2323). This technology employs nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI), which has been identified as a potentially useful multipronged weapon for use against cyanobacterial water blooms. It has been shown that the treatment with nanoparticles of zerovalent iron is an effective and environmentally benign method for destroying and preventing the formation of cyanobacterial water blooms. The nanoparticles have multiple modes of action, including the removal of bioavailable phosphorus, the destruction of cyanobacterial cells, and the immobilization of microcystins, preventing their release into the water column. Ecotoxicological experiments showed that nZVI is a highly selective agent, being nontoxic to other biological water species including algae, daphnids, water plants and fishes. The primary product of nZVI treatment is nontoxic and highly aggregated Fe(OH)3 compound which helps promote flocculation and gradual settling of the decomposed cyanobacterial biomass.

We announce the first annual scientific conference of Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials. The conference is held on 25th November. The conference will be focused on scientifical results of the Centre. The conference will cover topics from all fields of interest in nanomaterial and optical research: Nanocrystalline oxides of transition metals in environmental, medical, catalytic, and optical applications; Carbon nanostructures, biomacromolecules and hybrid systems – synthesis, modeling of interaction and applications; Biologically-active compounds and molecular magnets on the basis of complexes of transition metals in interaction with nanocrystalline magnetic carriers; Advanced optical and photonic technologies; Advanced materials on the basis of nanoparticles of metals and metal hybrids with extraordinary reduction, antibacterial, sorption and catalytic properties; and Nanometric systems and nanotechnologies in new analytic approaches. The annual conference takes place at the hotel Akademie in Hrubá Voda (near to Olomouc) under the auspices of Prof. Radek Zbořil, Ph.D. , the General director of the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials.

Prof. Dr. Radek Zboril, the general director of RCPTM, has been given the 2011 Award of the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic for extraordinary results achieved in the field of research, experimental development and innovations. He took it from the hands of Josef Dobes, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic, alongside with other three laureates at the ceremonial meeting held in the Small Mirror Hall at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic (MSMT) on November 10, 2011. This Award is given to those who achieve extraordinary research results with the support provided from the purpose and/or institutional expenditures of the MSMT budget section allocated for the research, experimental development and innovations. This Award is given by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic on November 10, on the occasion of the World Science Day recognizing the role of science in facilitating the rapprochement of peoples and cultures through its contribution to the advancement of mutual knowledge and understanding of people. For the year 2011, beside Prof. Dr. Radek Zboril, this Award has been also given to Prof. Dr. Julius Lukes from the Biological Centre of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, to Prof. Dr. Emil Palacek from the Biophysical Institute of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and to Prof. Dr. Jiri Zeman from the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague.