New website extols benefits of cutting-edge engineering
By Emily Thompson - Staff Writer
As researchers make new discoveries daily, there seems to be no end to the applications for nanofiber technology, which can already do everything from repairing damaged organs to filtering radiation from contaminated water.
The Czech Republic is one of just a handful of countries at the forefront of these technologies, and the engineers behind a new website promoting the sector hope to attract investment and create a global market for the discoveries coming out of the country's universities and research centers.
Created by an international team of nanotechnology experts, the Nanofibers Gateway portal (Nafigate.com) provides visitors with information about opportunities with nanofibers in the Czech Republic in the fields of liquid filtration, energy, health and hygiene, the environment and food packaging, as well as information concerning the sizes of markets for nanofiber products and the expected development in demand.
"We are sure we are several years ahead in terms of research and potential in the world, and we would like to benefit from that," said Stanislav Petřík, business development director at Elmacro, a company making equipment for the production of nanofibers. Petřík, who was also involved in the creation of the website, explained that while research and development in nanofiber technology in the country are quite advanced, they have begun to outpace demand, and one of the goals of the website will be to educate the global market about the ways in which nanofiber technologies can improve products.
Around 140 local companies specialize in nanotechnology, many of them developing nanofiber technology, and the Industry and Trade Ministry says the sector presents a "massive" potential for innovation and contribution to the Czech economy.
"The spectrum of producers is very wide, and nanofibers play a key role in applications in new types of advanced materials," said Zuzana Voltrová, spokeswoman for Nafigate.
In terms of markets for the nanofiber discoveries coming from Czech research, Petřík said air filtration is one of the most developed markets, followed by the fast-growing water filtration market, because the added value that the nanofiber technology brings to the products that already exist in these categories is very high.
Petřík says another area of high growth opportunity is in athletic and other types of protective clothing. "Nanofiber membranes are lighter, more breathable and have higher water resistance," he said.
Two universities, the Technical University of Ostrava and the Technical University of Liberec, offer programs of study in nanotechnology, and, along with research centers like the South Moravian Innovation Center and the Central European Institute of Technology in Brno, they form a solid foundation for research.
"The main thing that is still missing is the final application for nanomaterials," Petřík said. "We have to teach people it's worth it to pay for products with added value."
Emily Thompson can be reached at
ethompson@praguepost.com
ethompson@praguepost.com
Fonte: The Prague Post
