“Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry – Excellency in research

41 A, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania

Mihaela Olarue-mail: olaruma@icmpp.ro

founded in 1949 as an institute of the Romanian Academy

Institute of Excellence of the Romanian Academy

ranked in the first/second position among the 64 institutes/centres of the Romanian Academy; second/third position on the list of most innovative research/high education bodies in Romania

internationally recognized – ISI, Philadelphia, USA, lists the Institute among the “main Romanian actors on the international scientific scene”

National visibilityUniv. Buc.

UP Buc.

Univ. BB

UAIC Iasi

INFIN Buc.

INFM Buc.

ICMPPINFLPR B

UT Iasi

ICF Buc.

Local visibilityUAIC Iasi

ICMPP

UT Iasi

UMF Iasi

INCDFT

Visibility of the institute according to ISI evaluation

Members in editorial/advisory boards of scientific journals Awards of the Romanian Academy, Ministry of Education and Research, gold medals for innovation (Bruxelles, Moscow, Geneva)

Personnel Total - 284 researchers - 109 PhD students - 56 technical/administrative personnel – 119 personnel under 35 years: 25% Personnel with university degree: 175 PhD thesis promoters: 11

Training

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005year

Number

Co-Tutelle

PostDoc

Visitors

Doctoral or post-doc stays abroad

Financing Romanian Academy (direct financing) – 51% National grants – 26% European grants – 19% Technology transfer, small scale production – 4%

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Total

PNCDI

IC

CNCSIS

FP5, FP6

RA

Other

Income, EUR

year

RAINS, 477 000

EUR

Projects financed by: PNCDI, CNCSIS, AR (Romanian Academy)FP (FP5, FP6); IC (industrial contracts)

Infrastructure 3000 m2 buildings Conference hall Library Exhibition spaces Internal computer network

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005year

DF, EUR

Direct financing (DF)

Research facilities organic/polymer chemistry laboratory and equipments pilot scale installations for organic and polymer synthesis

PPIMC: mission/performance indicatorsPPIMC: mission/performance indicators

Basic research in polymer science yearly more than 170 papers, books, book chapters published yearly more than 100 presentations in scientific meetings

2006 papers in international / national journals, 93/61 30% of the publications are co-authored by foreign researchers books / book chapters, 13/17 patents, 2 participation to national / international conferences, 285/134

Applied research, technology transfer and small scale production industrial technologies for - silicones (oils, elastomers, resins, adhesives, pastes and lubricants)- polyurethanes (synthetic leather, adhesives, sealants, mechanically processed devices)- ion exchangers of different types and functions specialty polymeric materials – porous microparticles for the treatment of infected wound Education more than 30 PhD thesis defended 2001-2006 Services consultancy in the synthesis and processing of polymeric materials transfer of knowledge activities certification for polymeric materials

PPIMC Cooperation NetworkPPIMC Cooperation Network

National cooperationNational cooperation universities, research institutions, companies, SMEsuniversities, research institutions, companies, SMEs

International cooperation more than 50 research/high education centres in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Great Britain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine), in Japan, China, USA and Canada

PPIMC coordinates 5 Romanian consortia that group more than 32 partners with complementary expertise all over the country, is a partner in several national networks – CENOBITE, NANOMATFAB, NANOTECHNET, BIONANONET, BIOMED – and is actively involved in 58 multi-partner national grants

PPIMC Participation in European projectsPPIMC Participation in European projects

FP3 - partner in 3 projects (COST-PECO, PECO ERBIC IPDCT, INCO - COPERNICUS - ERBIC) FP5 - partner in 5 projects (2 INTAS, 1 CRAFT, 2 GROWTH) FP6 - ongoing projects (with more than 60 partners all over the world and a total budget of about 1.2 mil. € managed by the institute) Calls 2003 - partner in 3 NoEs, 1 IP, 1 Marie Curie Action ToK Calls 2004 - project coordinator of SSA project (RAINS)

- partener in 1 IP COST - partner in 6 COST Actions partner, EuMaT Technology Platform

PPIMC Regional activitiesPPIMC Regional activities Regional Contact Point for FP6/FP7 programs Regional Contact Point for ERA-MORE specific responsibilities for dissemination and training in the NE Region of Romania

Excellency in Research Programme (CEEX) Coordinator of 5 CEEX projects

Lignin-based raw materials for unconventional fuels, energy and chemicals production Innovative, degradable, biocompatible and bioactive architectures based on natural and synthetic polymers Scientific integrating network for the design of multifunctional polymeric materials Multifunctional integrated technology for the conservation of national cultural heritage Multifunctional nanostructured silicone materials

Partner in 30 CEEX projects Total budget of CEEX projects: 1.1 mil. €

New equipments

Perkin Elmer Ltd, LS 55 Luminescence Spectrometer

fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemiluminescence, and bioluminescence measurement modes excitation, emission, constant wavelength synchronous, and constant energy synchronous spectral scanning 3D excitation/emission scans, 3D synchronous and kinetic scans

Fourier Transform - Infrared Spectrometer (FT-IR) Bruker Vertex 70

measurements of absorbance, transmittance through transmission or reflection

temperature module for reflection (Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared ATR-FTIR)

BRUKER AXS – D8 Advance X-Ray Diffractometer

with scintillation detector in Bragg – Bretagne geometry

X-ray diffractogram – crystallinity, composition

auxilliary capabilities: temperature room (–140°C – +200°C), reflectometer (measurements of thin films thickness)

Analysis and characterization of nano- and microparticles (certified laboratory)

laboratory for testing and standardization of nanosized polymeric materials (dimension and shape, surface area, pore dimension, density, surface chemistry, chemisorption and zeta potential)

Mastersizer 2000 - measurement of the particle size distribution (0.02 µm – 2000 µm) for emulsions, suspensions and dry powders

Zetasizer Nano ZS – measurements of particle size (0.6 nm - 6 µm), zeta potential in aqueous and non-aqueous dispersions, molecular weight

Ellipsometer EL X-02C – measurement of the change of polarization of laser light after reflection at a surface; direct analysis of molecular reactions

Evaluation and certification of polymeric materials for/from packaging (certified laboratory)

laboratory for certification of polymeric materials for/from packaging and from wastes

Brabender Lab-Station – polymer processing (extruder, blending and mixing device)

INSTRON 3349 – tensile / compression test system

I. New synthetic polymers

Silicon - based monomers and polymers- organohalogensilanes; organolithium and carbosilane precursors of polycarbosilanes; linear and cyclic functional

carbosiloxanes; polysilanes- macrocyclic heterosiloxanes as precursors for ceramic materials or

carriers for liquid membranes; coordination polymers - well-defined silico- and organofunctional polysiloxanes;

heterogeneous catalysed polymerization- siloxane containing block and graft copolymers (siloxane-vinyl,

amide, ester, carbonate, alkylene oxide, pyrrole, sulfone, N-acyliminoethylene)

- siloxane elastomers, protective coatings, adhesives

Scientific expertise/excellence

Heteroatomic monomers, thermally stable and flame resistant polymers- monomers and polymers with maleimide structure- flame resistant and thermally stable compounds with P, halogen, S and N atoms- heterocyclic, crosslinkable polyamides - direct synthesis of polyamides, polyesters, polyhydrazides, polyureas and copolymers from monomers with leaving groups (S, B, F)- thermally stable polymers (imide polymers and copolymers, aromatic amide polymers and copolymers)- aromatic polysulfones

Urethane polymers- kinetics and mechanism of polyurethanes synthesis starting from 4,4’ - dibenzyldiisocianate - parabanic polymers and copolymers - binary and ternary urethane copolymers- urethane ionomers (cationomers, anionomers and zwitterionomers)

Linear and non-linear polyelectrolytes- synthesis and characterization of ion exchangers - interaction of polyelectrolytes with metal ions, organic and inorganic compounds, dyes, flocculants- interpolyelectrolyte complexes - polyelectrolytes in ecological and biomedical applications

Unconventional polymer synthesis methods - electroactive polymers (conjugated polyazomethines, polyvinylenes, polyaniline and polypyrrole) - plasma chemistry (thin films, prebiotic chemistry: the origins of life) - crosslinking of polymers by radical/cationic photochemical reactions - transparent layers of conjugated azo-aromatic polymers obtained by photolysis and/or thermolysis of aromatic diazides; photoconduction properties - kinetics of trans-cis photoisomerization and cis-trans thermal recovery of azobenzene and cinnamate chromophores incorporated into poly(vinyl chloride) and styrene - maleic anhydride copolymers - magnetic or electric field polymerization of vinyl monomers; adhesives

II. Chemical modification of natural polymers. Bioactive and biocompatible polymers

Bioactive and biocompatible polymers- maleic anhydride based copolymers- functionalization of extracellular microbial or native polysaccharides, cyclodextrins, cellulose and polyhydroxyalcanoates - natural polymers/bioactive substances (drugs) conjugates with controlled release- bile acids - cationic polysaccharides interactions

Chemically modified celluloses. Biomass valorification- physical (extraction), chemical and/or biochemical modification of biomass components - enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose - polyphenols - lignin - synthetic polymer blends; composite materials based on wood derivatives and synthetic polymers obtained by “in situ” polymerization- synthetic polymer resins

III. Polymer characterization. Polymer solutions. Compatibility, characterization of polymers in solid state

- investigation of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of materials, electrical conductivity and photoconductivity as well as of the behavior under heat, light and electric field, to provide information on the lifetime of materials and their impact on the environment- methods to control the quality of industrial products- methods to study natural polyelectrolytes (nucleic acids, proteins or ionic polysaccharides), to provide information for life sciences (molecular biology, microbiology and virusology), pharmacy and medicine

IV. Environment protection and energy conservation

- new, clean sources of energy, by using maleic polyelectrolytes as antiscale agents in the exploitation of geothermal water- the management of soils and the enhancement of agricultural production through soil conditionners based on maleic acid copolymers- reduced eutrophication of waters through maleic polyelectrolytes as phosphate substitutes- prevention of pollution with chromium (tanning processes)polymers for waste water treatment, purification of biological liquids- protecting of the environment against pollution by polymer waste resulted from industrial and household activities- short-term or controlled life time polymer materials, to reduce the amount of natural waste residues and to remove the generated waste by destructive procedures as pyrolysis

Thank you for your attention!