The best inventions have been awarded for the tenth time during the National Student-Inventor Competition organised by the Kielce University of Technology. The competition is intended for students, doctoral students and graduates who, during their studies, created or co-created an invention, utility model or industrial design which is either protected by exclusive rights, or has been applied for protection at the Polish Patent Office.
144 solutions from 26 universities were submitted for this year’s anniversary edition of the Competition. Five equal main prizes, distinctions and special prizes were awarded.
Inventors associated with the University of Silesia are authors or co-authors of two of the awarded solutions.
The creators of the method and device for optimising the process of solid fuel combustion in grate power boilers received one of the five main prizes in the Competition, as well as the special prize from the Chairman of INWEX Innovation and Implementation Unit.
The solution allows to optimise the combustion process of waste fuel, including coal sludge and traditional carbon fuel, especially with high humidity. Thanks to the use of the invention, it will be possible to eliminate the undesired and uncontrolled air flows which are not involved in effective fuel combustion. This, in turn, will allow to increase the efficiency of the whole process and contribute e.g. to reducing the emission of harmful substances, such as nitrogen oxide.
Adam Świerczyński, MSc, a graduate of the University of Silesia, currently associated with the Silesian University of Technology, is a co-author of the invention, which meets the conditions for participation in the Competition. The other co-authors include Dr. Eng. Szymon Ciukaj from the Silesian University of Technology and Mariusz Grzesiczak, MSc, Patent Attorney at the University of Silesia.
A distinction was also awarded to the authors of a series of inventions related to a convenient and efficient method of synthesis of perylene and coronene derivatives by Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction of arines with perylene and its derivatives. The initial optical and electrochemical tests have indicated the possibility of using the obtained compounds as conductive and luminescent materials in OLED technology or/and solar cells. Products obtained using the method based on these inventions may also undergo further functionalisation, as a result of which they will become an attractive product for organic electronics and photovoltaics.
Perylene derivatives are used for construction of devices e.g. by technology giants such as Sony Corporation and LG Chem. The main expected effect of using the inventions is the development of chemistry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mainly the methods of synthesis of functionalised nanographenes based on PAH structure, which are nowadays an extremely important building material for many modern technologies.
The co-authors of the series of inventions, which meet the conditions for participation in the Competition, include: Aneta Kurpanik, MSc, Bogumiła Gołek, MSc, Agata Grabowska, MSc, Justyna Łucka, MSc, Witold Ignasiak, Msc Eng. The other co-authors are Full Prof. Stanisław Krompiec, Eng., Beata Marcol-Szumilas, Msc, Dr. Eng. Grażyna Szafraniec-Gorol and Dr. Marek Matussek.
Detailed information about the results of Student-Inventor Competition is available at: www.tu.kielce.pl.