Exceptional Cooperation Between the Centre of Polymer Systems in Zlín and a Top Scientific Centre in the USA
19. July 2024The Centre for Polymer Systems (CPS) at Tomas Bata University in Zlín (TBU) has established a successful collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. Prof. Yuriy Román, representing the American partner, has secured a project from the Global Seed Funds call announced by MIT (specifically the MIT-Czech Republic Seed Fund). In this project, David Škoda from CPS is participating as an international collaborator.
“The scientific cooperation between Czech and American researchers focuses on preparing heterogeneous catalysts for olefin metathesis and follows an ongoing project we are working on with MIT,” says David Škoda.
The MIT-Czech Republic Seed Fund aims to foster international collaboration between research organizations and to enhance it. Within this collaboration, the research focuses on developing new materials that act as highly active catalysts for processing hydrocarbons containing double bonds (such as propylene, ethylene, and butene), which are essential raw materials in the production of commonly used plastics.
The chemical industry faces a significant challenge in efficiently processing hydrocarbons with minimal environmental impact. “At CPS, we have developed a method for preparing catalysts that achieve high activity by having a special structure with an ideal distribution of active centres for catalysis. With their use, it will be possible to process hydrocarbons with a double bond more efficiently and achieve higher yields of chemical reactions in a shorter time. This will lead to a reduction in energy requirements and resource savings in these processes,” adds David Škoda.
The research into catalyst synthesis is being carried out by the researchers at the Centre of Polymer Systems in Zlín. In addition to David Škoda, the project also involves Barbora Hanulíková and PhD student Vít Hrbáček. Tests to measure the effectiveness of the prepared catalysts and advanced characterization of these materials are being conducted at the MIT workplace in the USA. “It is a great honour for us to cooperate with a top institution like MIT, and we believe that this cooperation will continue to develop. Being selected for the MIT-Czech Republic Seed Fund project is a clear indication that they count on our cooperation in the future,” says Barbora Hanulíková.
A team from CPS, comprising David Škoda and Barbora Hanulíková, visited MIT at the beginning of July. “During the meeting, we discussed the current results of catalyst synthesis conducted at CPS and the measurement of their catalytic activity, which is being studied at MIT. While there, we also visited the laboratory several times to observe catalytic reactions and gain inspiration from their instrumentation,” explained Barbora Hanulíková. Additionally, CPS PhD student Vít Hrbáček travelled to the USA for a six-month internship, along with PhD student Tomáš Pokorný from Masaryk University Brno, which also participates in the project. It is his second one-month internship within the project.
“The collaboration between our centre and such a significant global institution serves as evidence of the excellent employees and unique equipment we have here in Zlín. This allows us to engage in world-class, high-quality research,” concluded Prof. Vladimír Sedlařík, the director of the Centre of Polymer Systems.