- Upper organisation
- Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín
- Address
Študentská 2
91101Trenčín
Slovakia
Description
Centre for functional and surface-functionalized glasses (acronym FunGlass) is newly created centre of excellence in the framework of Horizon 2020 project - Spreading the excellence and widening participation (H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2; Topic WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017 Teaming Phase 2, project number 739566). Its establishment is based on upgrade of the existing Centre of excellence for ceramics, glass and silicate materials (CEKSiM, created in 2012). The Centre is created in cooperation with the project partners´ institutions and their leading experts in glass science and technology in Europe, namely (in alphabetical order) prof. Bernardo from the Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy), prof. Boccaccini from the Friedrich – Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), prof. Durán from the Instituto de Ceramica y Vidrio Madrid (Spain), and prof. Wondraczek from the Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena (Germany). The Centre is located at Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, Slovakia in a region with high concentration of glass industry (“Euro-region of Glass”), the main producers are RONA a.s. Lednické Rovne, Vetropack a.s. Nemšová, John Manville Slovakkia in Trnava, Knauf Insulation in Nová Baňa and a number of glass production facilities at the Czech side of the border .
The aim of the FunGlass is to create an internationally recognized centre of excellence of research in the field of glass-based functional materials. Apart from research activities perfomed directly by glass prodicers, the present CEKSiM is the only research unit in the Slovak Republic dealing with the research and innovation activities related to the needs of local and regional glass industry. . The centre is also active in the field of development and characterization of new types of functional glasses with luminescent properties, replacement of rare earth elements by transition metals in inorganic glass based phosphors, research related to vitrification and immobilization of radioactive waste, and glass-fibres based insulation for nuclear-power plants. Key activities of the Centre include training and applied research to tap into a local know-how in development of the competitive advantage of the region by training skilled research personnel and by pursuing opportunities to establish partnership with regional and EU glass industries and international networking.
Some of the researchers of the Centre are the members of the national and international professional organizations (Slovak Glass Society, Union of Glass Industry of the Slovak republic, Czech Glass Society) and the worldwide glass network ICG – International Commission on Glass comprising 33 national organizations in glass science and technology.
Centre for functional and surface-functionalized glasses
Centre for functional and surface-functionalized glasses
Contact Person
andrea CHRASTINOVÁ
Equipment
In the last 6 years the Centre was successful in obtaining a significant amount of funding from ERDF and other sources (including industrial cooperation). As a result of these activities, today CEKSiM has at its hands an up-to-date research infrastructure:
- Sample preparation
State of the art powder processing line, laboratory scale, including:
- Planetary Mill, Fritsch Pulverisette 5,
- Vibratory Micro, Mill Fritsch Pulversiette 0,
State of the art ceramographic facilities, laboratory scale, including:
- Precision Saw, Buehler IsoMet® 5000,
- Diamond Saw, Buehler AbrasiMatic® 300 Abrasive Cutter,
- Lapping equipment/Grinder-Polisher, Buehler EcoMet 300Pro
- Automatic polisher EcoMet/AutoMet 300 Grinder-Polisher,
- Vibration polishing Buehler Vibromet,
Other:
- JEOL JFC-1300 „AUTO Sputter Coater“,
- JEOL JEC-520 „Carbon Coater“,
- House built equipment for preparation of glass microspheres by flame synthesis,
- Laboratory Tape Caster, DrBlade
- Heat treatment and glass melting facilities
- Tube furnace up to 1300°C - Clasic 0213T,
- Tube furnace for work in vacuum/controlled atmosphere up to 1800°C – Clasic 0118T,
- High-temperature elevator furnaces - Clasic 0718E - 3x,
- Chamber furnace for sintering of ceramics up to 1800°C - Clasic 1018 S,
- Muffle furnaces for glass annealing – 5 x,
- Hot press - Clasic 0220 ZL,
- High Temperature Oven GHIBLI GH60,
- Climatic Chamber, Angelantoni Discovery DY110
- Pressure Autoclave, Büchi Glas Uster / Limbo li
- Observation furnace, Clasic
- Physical properties of solids/melts
- Particle Size Analyser and Zeta Potentiometer, Brookhaven 90Plus BI-Zeta,
- Rheometer / viscometer, Haake Mars III,
- High temperature rotation viscometer, BAHR Vis 403,
- Helium Pycnometer, Quantachrome Ultrapyc 1200e,
- Gradient furnace, Clasic 4015 SP
- House-built equipment for measurement of physical properties of glass melts,
- Hot stage microscope, Zeiss,
- Potentiostat with frequency analyser, Modulab ESC-MTS (Solartron Analytical),
- Equipment for measurement of thermally stimulated depolarisation currents, Novocontrol,
- Micro Hardness Tester, WIKI 200,
- Equipment for determination of residual stresses in glass - STRAINOPTICS POLARIMETER SYSTEM - ANALYZER A-100.
- Microstructure characterisation
- Scanning Electron Microscope, JEOL JSM-7600 F/EDS/WDS/EBSD
- Optical Microscopes with accessories 2 x, NIKON LV 100 UDM
- Chemical analysis
- Microwave Digestion System, Berghof Speedwave 4
- ICP OES Varian Vista MPX,
- ICP OES Agilent 5100 SVDV
- ICP MS Agilent 7900 ICP-MS
- LSX-213 G2+ Nd:YAG Laser Ablation System,
- Ionic chromatography Dionex™ ICS-5000+,
- X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, Bruker S8 Tiger,
- Phase analysis
- X-ray diffractometer, Panalytical Empyrean DY1098,
- High temperature X-ray diffraction chamber Anton Paar HTK16,
- Thermal analysis
- Simultaneous Thermal Analysis Netzsch STA 449 F1 Jupiter,
- Thermomechanical Analysis Netzsch TMA 402 F1 Hyperion,
- Thermomechanical Analysis TMA Q400,
- Differential scanning calorimetry PE DSC 8000,
- Differential scanning calorimetry PE DSC 8000,
- Spectroscopy methods
- Raman Microscope Renishaw inVia.Reflex,
- Spectrofluorometer Fluorolog 3: FL 3-21 (Horiba),
- Fluorocube-NL-01,
- UV-VIS-NIR spectrometer Cary 5000,
- NIR Fibre-optics spectrometer, Ocean Optics NIRQUEST 256-2.5
Web-link for equipment:
http://centratech.tnuni.sk/?page_id=7002 (In Slovak for the time being)
- Equipment Link
- CEKSiM
Services
The industrial based research is related to the needs of local and regional glass production and technology problems. The actual services for industrial partners are DSC analysis, TGA analysis, SEM analysis, measurement of the mechanical and physical properties of the glasses. The Centre offers also the following services:
- Determination of the chemical composition of inorganic non-metalic materials
- Determination of the content of dissolved elements in water
- Determination of the chemical resistance of silicate glasses
- Corrosion testing and monitoring of chemical resistance of inorganic materials
- Corrosion tests with advanced ceramic materials under hydrothermal conditions
- Vicker hardness test
- Microstructural analysis of inorganic non-metallic materials
- UV-VIS-NIR (absorption) spectroscopy
- Raman spectroscopy
- Electrical and electrochemical properties of materials
- Thermal properties of materials
- Melting of glass-forming melts under laboratory conditions
- Measurement of physical properties of glass-forming melts and glasses
- Experimental observation of the batch melting progression and stability study of primary and pneumatic foam formed on the surface of glass-forming melt
- Image analysis using optical microscopy
- Image analysis using optical microscopy
- The X-ray difractometry
- Determination of rheological properties
- Measurement of particle size and zeta potencialoptimazing stability and drying of ceramic suspensions, clays and soils
- Production of thin ceramic tapes using tape casting method
http://centratech.tnuni.sk/?page_id=6864 (in English, Catalogue of cooperation possibilities, part Glass Competence Centre Vitrum Laugaricio)
- Services Link
- Glass Competence Centre Vitrum Laugaricio