The scientists of the Otto Wichterle Centre of Polymer Materials and Technologies (CPMT OW) Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (ÚMCH) of the Academy of Sciences of the CR are beginning to work in new laboratories. They were ceremonially opened on Thursday, 3rd November 2011 within the Open House Days of the Institutes (3–4 November), which are in the programme of the Science and Technology Week (STW) festival. On this occasion, the director of the institute František Rypáček emphasised the fundamental importance of polymers for modern man. They have penetrated into electronics, pharmacy and medicine and are becoming indispensible for us.
The event was attended also by the President of the Academy of Sciences of the CR Prof. Jiří
Drahoš, who in his speech he reminded the audience of the parallel between the motto of the STW
festival ‘Science for Life’ and the figure of Prof. Otto Wichterle: ‘He was a typical example of a
scientist, who did a great deal precisely for life. The proof can be the millions of people all
over the world who use his invention of contact lenses.’
The CPMT OW was built with the support of the Operation Programme Prague – Competitiveness
(OPPK) and is endowed with more than sixty years of experience in macromolecular research, a desire
for knowledge and untraditional methods, like those also of the founder of the Institute of
Macromolecular Chemistry of the ASCR prof. Otto Wichterle, after whom the new centre has been
named.
From contact lenses to plastic electronics
The basic and applied research of the CPMT OW covers a wide spectrum of materials and
technologies. The researchers here will
inter alia investigate the polymers utilisable for flexible printed electronics, pliable and
large-area displays or identification labels on the packages of products, capable of providing
information on changes in the chemical composition, shelf life, etc. The development of
technologies for recycling polyurethane foam from car wrecks will allow us on the other hand to
transform undesirable bulky waste into raw materials that can be utilised again in the production
of new materials and components. Thanks to the methods developed at the CPMT OW, it will also be
possible to modify waste starch into biodegradable plastics, usable e.g. for the production of a
mulching foil in agriculture. The furnished modern devices of the Centre are also used in the
research of polymer materials for medicine, e.g. in artificial replacement joints – with the aim of
increasing their reliability and lifespan. Last but not least, the CPMT OW offers the technical
base and opportunity for quality education in macromolecular technologies both for students and
specialists from industry.
For more information: Ing. Daniela Illnerová, ÚMCH, ASCR, tel: 296 809 331, email:
illnerova@imc.cas.cz
Prepared by: Department of Media Communication of the Head Office of the ASCR and Institute of
Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the CR
Photo: Stanislava Kyselová, Akademický bulletin
25 Nov 2011
