Group Members:
Prof. Slavka Tcholakova;
Prof. Nikolai Denkov;
Dr. Konstantin Golemanov;
Dr. Zlatina Mitrinova
PhD students: 4
The group for structured colloidal materials develops a research program for design and fabrication of porous materials (inorganic foams) for thermal and noise insulation, allowing energy saving and improving energy efficiency. It works also on new approaches for synthesis of nanoparticles in emulsions, based on the previous experience of the group on several aspects of the emulsification process. This experience will be used to develop new procedures for particle synthesis in batch emulsions. These areas are developed with funding and in close collaboration with the international companies BASF and Saint Gobain.
Awards:
Prof. Nikolai Denkov – national award of Ministry of education and science Pythagoras (2010)
Prof. Slavka Tcholakova – award for young scientist of Sofia University (2006)
Dr. Konstantin Golemanov – Marie Curie Fellowship (2011-2013)
Recent References:
- I. Lesov, S. Tcholakova, N. Denkov, “Factors Controlling the Formation and Stability of Foams Used as Precursors of Porous Materials” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 426 (2014) 9-21.
- S. Tcholakova, I. Lesov, K. Golemanov, N. Denkov, S. Judat, R. Engel, T. Danner, “Efficient Emulsification of Viscous Oils at High Drop Volume Fraction” Langmuir 27 (2011) 14783-14796.
- S. Tcholakova, N. D. Denkov, and A. Lips, “Comparison of Solid Particles, Globular Proteins and Surfactants as Emulsifiers” Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10 (2008) 1608-1627 (invited article).
Scientific equipment:
Zetasizer Nano ZS (Malvern Instruments, UK) – light scattering system for size, zeta potential and molecular weight measurement of particles, emulsion droplets and macromolecules
Malvern 4700C (Malvern Instruments, UK) – goniometric light scattering system for dynamic and static light scattering with a solid state laser (532 nm)
Minispec mq 20 low resolution NMR 20 MHz (Bruker, Germany)
Gas chromatograph Trace-GC (ThermoQuest, Italy) – GC analytical system for analysis of fats and oils, their derivatives, and other volatile compounds.
HPLC Prominence LC-20AD (Shimadzu Corporation, Japan) – Versatile HPLC analytical system, currently used for analysis of biosurfactants – saponins, bile acids and phospholipids.
Rheometer Gemini (Bohlin Instruments, Malvern, UK)