Foreign Cooperating Institutions - Institute of Inorganic Chemistry ...

Field of Scientific Interest
Minerals from the smectite group, typically montmorillonites, are natural layered
nanomaterials and the main minerals in bentonites. Their chemistry and modifications are
investigated at the Department of Hydrosilicates since the foundation of the Institute. Primary
interest is development and characterization of attractive novel materials based on modified
smectites, such as hybrid nanomaterials with organic substances and intercalation compounds.
Chemical modifications performed recently include replacement of exchangeable cations with
protons and/or with various inorganic or organic cations, forming a systematic study targeted
on the properties of raw and modified smectites. Their possible applications are in organic
and inorganic hybrid materials, including smectite–polymer nanocomposites, optical materials
based on hybrids with organic dyes, in numerous spheres of environmental protection, etc.
The phenomena studied include new applications of IR and UV-VIS spectroscopic techniques
in materials chemistry; surface acidity; fixation of cations; barrier and sorption properties with
entrapping of environmentally hazardous compounds; properties of clay–polymer
nanocomposites; for hybrids with dyes resonance energy transfer, luminescence, formation of
molecular aggregates and photoactivity.
International and National Projects
New clay – nanosemiconductive hybrids
Bilateral Project within the Collaboration Program of Slovak Republic and Greece
Duration: 2005 – 2006
Principal Investigator in Slovakia: RNDr. P. Komadel, DrSc.
Principal Investigator in Greece: Dr. M. A. Karakassides, Department of Materials Science
and Engineering, University of Ioannina, Greece
The chemical evolution of inorganic substances to amino acids, peptides
and protein precursors on the primordial earth
Bilateral Project No. GZ 45.530/1-VI/B/7a/2002
Duration: 2002 – 2006
Principal Investigator in Slovakia: RNDr. J. Bujdák, PhD.
Principal Investigator in Austria: Prof. B.M. Rode, Institute for General, Inorganic and
Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Chemical evolution
Bilateral Project
Duration: 2007 – 2008
Principal Investigator in Slovakia: RNDr. J. Bujdák, PhD.
Principal Investigator in Austria: Prof. B.M. Rode Institute for General, Inorganic and
Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Novel porous materials based on layered silicates
Bilateral Project within inter-academic agreements on scientific cooperation with Polish
Academy of Sciences
Duration: 2007 – 2009
52