About us

 

Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) is founded in 1958 to carry out fundamental and applied scientific research in the field of physical chemistry. The Institute publishes more than 3000 scientific publications and more than 100 patents. The Institute publishes last five years about 420 publications in high-ranked journals as well as more than 25 monographs issued by renowned international scientific publishers. For the same period the papers of the Institute are cited in the scientific literature more than 8500 times.

IPC has 90 co-workers including 8 full professors, 17 associate professors and 14 research officers with PhD degree.

Recently, the Institute of Physical chemistry belongs to the research fields Nanosciences, New Materials and Technologies of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the research investigations of IPC address three main thematic areas:

  • Synthesis and characterisation of electrochemically obtained new advanced functional materials including corrosion-resistive, magnetic, electro-and photoelectrocatlytic and chemosensitive coatings from metals, alloys, oxides and polymers; synthesis and characterization of new ceramic and glass ceramic materials with improved functional properties.
  • Nanoscale phases and phenomena, crystallization processes and obtaining of glass and glass ceramics, synthesis of environmentally friendly materials from dangerous industrial wastes
  •  Design and investigation of functionalized surfaces, decorated micro and nano-particles, thin liquid films, foams, emulsions and „soft” nanostructured materials for the application in medicine, pharmacy, food and oil industry.

 

Since 2005, Institute of Physical Chemistry is distinguished as a Center of excellence in the field of Nanoscale phenomena and nanostructures in bulk and surface phases.

IPC implements projects supported by VI and VIIth European Framework Programs, COST, NATO, national and foreign companies. The scientific investigations of IPC are completed in close collaboration with scientists and academic institutions worldwide.

With Decision № 692/21.09.2010 of Council of Ministers of Bulgaria Institute of Physical Chemistry is coordinator of a unique scientific infrastructure in the field of materials science (INFRAMAT) that belongs to the National roadmap of research infrastructures. INFRAMAT is intended to support investigations of advanced materials with applications in industry, bio-medicine and environmental protection (Module I) and investigations, diagnostics, restoration and preservation of artefacts from metals (Module II). INFRAMAT associates laboratories and equipments from 15 academic institutions, 4 universities and a national museum.  (http://www.ipc.bas.bg/INFRAMAT/index.htm)

IPC is a coordinator of 2 consecutive projects, worked on in co-operation with UTCM, based on  Human Resource Development Operational program, that aim to support the development of PhD students and young scientists in the area of material science, including the creation of new  materials. Recently, IPC is working on a project "High-tech laboratory for specialized X-ray methods and tomography for the development of friendly environment and energy saving technologies, associated with health" by the program BG161PO003-1.2.04- „Development of applied studies of the research organizations in Bulgaria” financed by "Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy” operational programme.

 

  • scanning electron microscopes for investigations of surface morphology equipped with device for chemical elemental analysis (incl. carbon).
  • X-ray diffractometer for phase analysis and investigations of structure and texture of solid materials
  •  X-ray fluorescence analyzer for non-destructive determination of chemical composition of  metals and alloys
  • multifunctional equipments for complex electrochemical investigations with possibilities for application of various potentiostatic, galvanoctatic, transient and differential techniques
  • microinterefeometric method for studying surface forces in thin fluid films
  • tensiometer with possibility for droplet profile analysis and double dosing system and module for contact angles measurements
  • Langmuir balance for studies of adsorbed layers on fluid interfaces
  • experimental set-up for determination of electric properties (polarizability and dipole moments) of inorganic, organic and biologic colloid particles providing the possibility to evaluate their mean size and polydispersity
  • equipment for differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis
  • laser dilatometer for non-contact studies of thermal expansion of materials.
  • nanoindentor and device for determination of nano- and microhardness of materials and coatings

 

Institute of Physical Chemistry has a long and successful history of the collaboration with bulgarian and international partners in the field of metallurgy, oil industry, medicine and recently with a producers of advanced sensors as- Schering, Atotech, Umicore, Valtzen Fabric, Galvanotechnik, Robotron, AME Electroplating (Germany),  Shell and Shell-gas (The Netherlands), Fidelity (USA), Framatom (France), Meltex (Japan), Alecos Chemicals, PMD-Group (The Great Britain).

The recent projects of IPC are with Umicore Galvanotechnik (Germany), Chiesi Pharmaceutics (Italy), CEST (Austria), Sensor Nite Industrial, Ideal-Standard, Opticoelectron, Galvanopraktik (Bulgaria).