The International Warsaw Invention Exhibition IWIS was held from 25 to 27 October 2021. It is the biggest global event in Poland that promotes innovations. There were four awarded inventions whose development involved scientists from the University of Silesia. One of them was awarded a gold medal, the other three received silver medals.
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The gold medal was awarded for the invention entitled “Hybrid phosphate-polymer coatings on titanium implants for use in dentistry”. It was created by scientists from the Institute of Materials Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Silesia: Patrycja Osak, MSc Eng, Bożena Łosiewicz, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor, Joanna Maszybrocka, PhD, and Julian Kubisztal, PhD.
The invention involves the development of multifunctional phosphate-polymer coatings on the surface of dental titanium implants, which can be a universal carrier in targeted drug delivery systems.
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The silver medal was awarded to a team of chemists affiliated with the University of Silesia in Katowice and the University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz. The authors of the patented invention entitled “Graphene oxide modified with 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline” are: Barbara Feist, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor, Jacek Nycz, PhD, DSc Eng., Associate Professor, Prof. Rafał Sitko, Prof. Eng. Ewa Schab-Balcerzak, Marcin Szala, PhD Eng., Karina Kocot, PhD, Jakub Wantoluk, MSc, Justyna Kuczera, MSc, as well as Borys Ośmiałowski, PhD, DSc Eng., Izabela Grela, MSc Eng., and Karina Mroczyńska, MSc.
The invention purifies waters contaminated with heavy metal ions. Graphene oxide is a chemical substance that allows for a relatively simple and effective way of sorption of heavy metal ions from solutions with a wide pH range. Purification involves introducing a contaminated solution and modified graphene oxide into a reactor. The resulting solution, after a suitably long mixing process, is filtered using special paper filters. The filtered water is then assessed for the amount of metal ions adsorbed.
Details of the invention can be found in the article: „Walka o czystość wód – patent” published in “Silesian research | Patents of the University of Silesia”.
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The silver medal was also awarded to a team of scientists from the Institute of Materials Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Silesia and the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Krakow Institute of Technology for the “Method of modelling gradient and hybrid cell structures and their fabrication by additive methods” The invention was developed by: Joanna Maszybrocka, PhD, Bożena Łosiewicz, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor, Grzegorz Skrabalak, PhD, Andrzej Stwora, PhD, Patrycja Osak, MSc Eng.
The invention involved the development of a methodology and preparation of a library of homogeneous, gradient, and hybrid porous structures. Cellular metallic materials were produced using selective laser sintering. The specific spatial structure of metallic materials with a cellular structure gives them unique properties, allowing them to be used, for example, as elements of car catalytic converters, heat exchanger elements, crumple zones in vehicles or bone implants.
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An interdisciplinary team of physicists and chemists from the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Silesia was awarded the silver medal for the invention entitled “High-pressure production of well-defined and ultrapure poly(ɣ-butyrolactone)” It was developed by: Roksana Bernat, MSc Eng., Paulina Maksym, PhD Eng., Magdalena Tarnacka, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor, Andrzej Dzienia, PhD Eng. Prof. Kamil Kamiński, and Prof. Marian Paluch.
The submitted invention concerned the preparation of ultrapure poly(γ-butyrolactone). This biomaterial, so far unavailable on the commercial market, can be safely used in the human body. It is also characterised by the shortest biodegradation time compared to other aliphatic polyesters (8-52 weeks). As a result, it can be used as a substrate for cell or tissue culture or, after modification, in 3D printing technology.
IWIS 2021 award winners:www.youtube.com.
