HISTORY
PCM group was founded in 1996 by Gerhard Rychlicki (G.R.), Artur P. Terzyk (A.P.T.) and Grzegorz S. Szymański (G.S.S.). The scientific interest of the group mainly focused on calorimetry of adsorption and catalytic activity of carbon materials. In 1997 Piotr A. Gauden (P.A.G.) joined the group to intensify the theoretical part of research. That time mainly fractal geometry concept of adsorption in microporous systems was developed, and as the result fractal analogues of DR and DA adsorption isotherm equations were proposed. In 2000 P.A.G. was awarded by the Scholarship of Foundation for Polish Science (similarly as A.P.T. in 1995). At the same time the research was expanded on the studies of drugs and phenols adsorption from solutions (with kinetics of this process). We also started the cooperation with Piotr Kowalczyk (Australia) who finished his PhD in famous Kaneko's laboratory in Chiba (Japan). Theoretical and experimental studies were performed in cooperation with many researchers from Poland and from abroad (Do (Australia), Gun'ko (Ukraine), Jaroniec (USA), Kaneko (Japan), Ryu and Rong (PR China), and Newcombe (Australia)). That time the monograph (The Theory Of Adsorpion of Gases and Vapours in Micropores of Carbonaceous Materials, ISBN 83-916460-0-9) by P.A.G. and A.P.T. was also printed. Around 2003 research was expanded to include the quantum chemical calculations and molecular simulations. The group was forced by Magdalena Ćwiertnia (M.C.), Marek Wiśniewski (M.W.), and Sylwester Furmaniak (S.F.).
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PCM group (from left to right: A.P.T., M.C., S.F., G.S.S., P.A.G., and G.R.), Department of Chemistry, Toruń, 2005. |
In 2006 the habilitation of A.P.T. was awarded by the Prime Minister of Polish government. Magdalena Ćwiertnia (M.C.) studied benzene adsorption on carbons and carbon blacks and her PhD was successfully finished with high notes from referees. That time we also started to cooperate with Profs. Frąckowiak (Poland) and Beguin (France) . In this way the series of experimental and theoretical studies of adsorption on carbon nanotubes was started. In 2007 Agnieszka Pacholczyk (A.P.) and Radosław P. Wesołowski (R.P.W.) joined the group.
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Front row (from left to right: G.R., A.P., M.W., and A.P.T.) and second row ( S.F., G.S.S., and P.A.G.), Department of Chemistry, Toruń, 2008. |
Lately the methods of preparation of new carbons were developed. Also strong progress in molecular simulations was achieved, and using Monte Carlo methods it was possible to verify different adsorption models and some new models of carbons (the cooperation with dr Harris (England)). In current theoretical studies we try (using the Gaussian program) to find the utility of theory of hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) for description of reactivity of carbonaceous adsorbents. In 2008 the monograph "Carbon Materials - Theory and Practice" was published and this monograph deals with the current problems and methods related to activated carbons and to adsorption.
On 21 Jan. 2009 A.P.T. started to be head of the group. In the same year S.F. was awarded by the Scholarship of Foundation for Polish Science (interview for PAP).
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In 2009 the group prepared presentation "Computer simulations - dancing with molecules" displayed during the 9-th Festival of Science and Art organised by N.C.U. web page (in Polish) |
In the beginning of June, the final version of a computer cluster of our research group was opened. MSc thesis of mgr. Daniel Traczykowski was awarded by the Association of Engineers and Technicians of the Chemical Industry (diploma). In 2009 the group presented the Keynote talk on Carbon conference in Biarritz (photos). In the same year our Group has just been awarded (just like in 2007 and 2008) by the I-st DEGREE AWARD OF THE RECTOR OF NCU.
fot. A.Romański |
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Prof. A.P. Terzyk and Prof. G. Rychlicki attend the I-st DEGREE AWARD OF THE RECTOR OF NCU |
Paper (A.P. Terzyk, P.A. Gauden, S. Furmaniak, R.P. Wesołowski, P.J.F. Harris, Molecular Dynamics Simulation Insight into the Mechanism of Phenol Adsorption at Low Coverages from Aqueous Solutions on Microporous Carbons, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 12, 812 (2010)) was one of the most-accessed articles (PCCP) of January 2010. In 2010 S.F. was awarded by the Scholarship of Foundation for Polish Science (similarly as in 2009). His PhD (Sorption Equilibria in Pores of Carbonaceous Materials - Analytical Models and Computer Simulations) was successfully finished with high notes from referees. In 2010 Katarzyna Dulska (K.D.) and Karolina Werengowska (K.W.) joined the group. In the same year our Group has just been awarded (just like in 2007, 2008, and 2009) by the I-st DEGREE AWARD OF THE RECTOR OF NCU. Inside front cover (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Issue 36, 2010) with the presentaion of our results was published (see below
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and official web page. (link to paper) |