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

1. “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry – Excellency in research 41 A, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania Mihaela Olaru e-mail: olaruma@icmpp.ro

2. 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” Visibility of the institute according to ISI evaluation

3. 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 Doctoral or post-doc stays abroad • 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)

4. Projects financed by: PNCDI, CNCSIS, AR (Romanian Academy)FP (FP5, FP6); IC (industrial contracts) • Financing • Romanian Academy (direct financing) – 51% • National grants – 26% • European grants – 19% • Technology transfer, small scale production – 4% Infrastructure • 3000 m2 buildings • Conference hall • Library • Exhibition spaces • Internal computer network • Research facilities • organic/polymer chemistry • laboratory and equipments • pilot scale installations for • organic and polymer synthesis Direct financing (DF)

5. PPIMC: 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

6. 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

7. PPIMC Cooperation Network • National cooperation • universities, 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

8. PPIMC 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 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

9. 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. €

10. New equipments

12. 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, transmittancethrough transmission or reflection • temperature module for reflection (Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared ATR-FTIR)

13. 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)

14. 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) Mastersizer2000 - 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

15. 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)

16. INSTRON 3349– tensile / compression test system

17. Scientific expertise/excellence • 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

18. 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)

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Thank you for your attention!