The scientific conference “Frontiers in Polymer Scienice” dedicated to polymers and their applications was held in Gothenburg (Sweden) from 29 May to 1 June. Together with my colleague Zuza Strugala, we were lucky enough to participate in this conference as part of the “Best of the Best 4. 0!” project funded by the Ministry of Education and Science.
In addition to many interesting lectures covering extensive research on the properties of polymers and their applications in modern devices, we had the opportunity to present the results of our research during a poster session. The subject of our research work was the application of hard neodymium magnets MQFP and activated silicides SBA-15 and MCF as fillers for biopolymer membranes in the process of pervaporative dehydration of ethyl alcohol. The work was carried out in a research team at the Department of Physicochemistry and Polymer Technology under the supervision of Dr hab. Gabrieli Dudek, prof. PŚ and in cooperation with Dr hab. Eng. Katarzyna Szymańska, Prof. PŚ.
In addition, the time of the conference was also a time to make new acquaintances with scientists and students both from Poland and abroad. I was most impressed by the lecture given by Professor Glenn Fredrickson from Sancta Barbara University in California, which dealt with the preparation of asymmetric membranes by wet phase inversion induced by the action of the so-called insolvent. This was particularly related to my mathematical interests, as the lecture also included mathematical modelling of diffusion based on the Fory–Huggins mechanism.
In addition to the conference itself, we also had the opportunity to visit Gothenburg and its attractions such as the Lieseberg reserve, the island of the Gothenburg Archipelago – Asperö and the beautiful district of the city – The Hague. In conclusion, it was a very special time both in terms of science and sightseeing 😉
Written by Paweł Grzybek
Student of Chemical Technology and Mathematics at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics
