Research facilities

The Training Site has under its direct control 4 laboratories for polymer synthesis of water-soluble reactive polymers, of biodegradable polymers and polypeptide block copolymers, polyester and polyether polymers and for anionic synthesis. The experimental facilities operated by the Training Site include GPC with triple detection, static and dynamic light scattering, X-ray scattering, molecular spectroscopy (NMR and IR) and rheology. Through cooperation with other departments of the Institute, the researchers of the Training Site have access to a full scale of other techniques, such as analytical services, chromatographic analyses, MALDI mass spectroscopy, calorimetry, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-VIS, EPR and fluorescence microscopy. The Institute has spent several million EUR in the past few years to modernize the experimental techniques. Research work is computerized to a large extent; currently more than 200 computers are linked in the Institute's network with full access to local and international information services, such as Web of Science. Supervisors of the fellows will be the following members of the Training Site who already have a good record with advising doctoral and postdoctoral students: K. Ulbrich (conjugates of synthetic and natural macromolecules as targetable drug carriers, and development of self-assembled complexes of polycations with DNA and plasmids as gene delivery systems), F. Rypáček (biodegradable polymers and their properties as biomaterials), P. Štěpánek (ordered nanostructures in bulk polymers), I. Fortelný (properties and phase structure kinetics of technologically important polymers blends), Č. Koňák (ordered polymer nanostructures in solutions), J. Kříž (structure evaluation by spectroscopic techniques), J. Spěváček (ordered polymer structures by NMR).