New research centres at Matfyz

New centres of excellence are financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds and the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czech Republic. The new centres were presented at the meeting in Karolinum by Dr. Martin Veis (MATFUN) and Dr. Milan Dopita (NanoCent) to the representatives of Charles University, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czech Republic, the British Embassy in Prague, and other guests.

The MATFUN centre which will be led by the exceptional scientist Ing. Ladislav Straka, DSc. wants to examine the basic physical principles of the materials with magnetic shape memory. The research will focus on well known alloys as well as newly prepared solid materials, thin films and nanostructures. The aim of the project is to find materials of an ideal nature for potential applications, such as actuators for robotics, medical and infusion micropumps, sensitive sensors of magnetic field, or equipment for so called energy harvesting in a car industry.

The research centre NanoCent will be led by Dr. Martin Dopita whose team wants to examine nanomaterials usable in various fields of study, such as microelectronics, spintronics, energetics, or biomedicine. The research will particularly investigate and develop materials of the nanocrystal strongly disturbed carbon base (used e.g. in Li-Ion batteries), nanocrystal and epitaxial thin films (part of blue, green and white LED), and nanocrystal metallic oxides and ultra fine-grained Ti and Si alloys (stents, body implants).

The centres’ foundation and operation were subsidized by more than 250mil CZK. Both centres intend to use this money to cover not only the expenses for research but also to purchase new and modern research equipment.

The projects should attract top scientists and teams of scientists from abroad to cooperate with the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. “We started to cooperate with the team of the magnetic shape memory discoverer Kari Ullakko of the Finish Lappeenranta University of Technology, where he works on a development and characterization of alloys showing these features. Together with the team of S. Fähler of IFW Dresden we will continue on the development of thin films with magnetic shape memory. The new alloys and thin films will be characterized in cooperation with Franca Albertini of the Italian Institute of Material for Electronics and Magnetism who is the top at characterizing the physical features of magnetic materials,” said MATFUN representatives for iForum.

NanoCent did not stay back and is currently working on a cooperation with more than ten international prestigeous workplaces, amongst all e.g. Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaft, Technische Universität Freiberg.

There were 105 projects in total that applied in call for projects of the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czech Republic out of which 32 will get the subsidy and four of them are being resolved by Charles University (two from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, one from the Faculty of Science and one from the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové.

– press release, OMK –