The Department of Physical Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemical Technology at Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute has been collaborating with Lodz University of Technology in Łódź, Poland, since 2022.
Recently, Professor Heorhii Sokolski visited the research group led by Professor Tomasz Macek at the Faculty of Environmental and Chemical Engineering of Lodz University of Technology as part of the PROM programme, a short-term academic exchange programme funded by the European Union under the project “Short-Term Academic Exchange as a Way to Enhance the Quality of Education in Higher Education and Research Institutions,” project number FERS.01.05-IP. During the visit, Heorhii Sokolski held discussions with representatives of the host institution's international office and Professor Tomasz Macek's research group regarding future research and cooperation plans. He also became acquainted with the university, its history and achievements, research areas, and research infrastructure, and received relevant information materials. The visit also included research into the photocatalytic gas-phase conversion of methanol using manganese oxide and oxyhydroxide composites, carried out with the unique equipment available to Professor Tomasz Macek's research group.
As Professor Sokolski explained, the cooperation agreement with Lodz University of Technology under the Erasmus+ programme has enabled students of the Faculty of Chemical Technology at Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute to participate in academic mobility opportunities during their studies. Seven students have already taken advantage of the programme. For example, undergraduate student Olha Hlushko visited the university last year, while Kateryna Kozachok, a student of the HM-31 group at the Faculty of Chemical Technology, is currently completing her internship in Łódź.
— Heorhii Volodymyrovych, which of the information materials you received during your visit will you use in your educational and research work?
— As the academic mobility coordinator of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, I am interested in learning more about the educational processes at European higher education institutions, including those in Poland. The information materials provided by the International Office of Lodz University of Technology concern the PROM programme, administered by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and co-financed by the European Union and Lodz University of Technology. They will therefore be useful in establishing further contacts and developing cooperation between our universities.
— What are the prospects for continuing your research into the photocatalytic gas-phase conversion of methanol over manganese oxide and oxyhydroxide composites? And could you also tell us a few words about the unique equipment?
— Scientific interest in photocatalytic technologies has been growing in the 21st century due to their environmental benefits and their status as “green,” advanced oxidation technologies. The purification of the environment from industrial waste and wastewater containing organic compounds is becoming an increasingly significant global problem. Photocatalysis is considered a promising approach because it uses solar radiation energy to break chemical bonds and mineralize organic compounds into carbon dioxide and water. Photocatalysis is also a promising approach for water splitting in the field of hydrogen energy and for many chemical synthesis reactions.
At present, we are using gaseous methanol as a model system for evaluating the photocatalytic activity of catalysts developed at our university in cooperation with European partners, including the University of Palermo, Italy (Professor Giuseppe Lazzara), the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia (Dr. Marietta Kržmanč), as well as the Ukrainian private company Nanotechcenter in Kyiv.
We have developed and studied photocatalysts based on manganese oxides and oxyhydroxides and aluminosilicate nanotubes for applications including dye degradation and water splitting.
Professor Tomasz Macek’s research group has unique, world-class expertise in gas-phase catalysis and photocatalysis. The laboratory is equipped with a variety of experimental systems, including facilities for the gas-phase photocatalytic oxidation of methanol.
Gas-phase photocatalysis is no less important in practical applications than liquid-phase photocatalytic processes. In particular, given the pandemic threats of recent years, the use of this technology for air disinfection is especially relevant.