Faculty of Chemistry

On June 3-5, 2025, the 18th annual International Invention and Innovation Fair INTARG® took place at the Katowice International Congress Center (MCK). This year, the Silesian University of Technology was also represented.

Our Faculty has reported an invention by employees and a PhD student of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry Chemistry. This is an achievement called "Method of producing colored oxide films on valve metal products" protected by the Polish patent no. 246682 (currently also processed in the European Patent Office - EPO). The authors of the patent are Dr. Maciej Sowa, Aleksander Olesiński and Prof. Wojciech Simka from the Electrochemistry Group of our Faculty.

The subject of the invention is a method of obtaining colored oxide layers on metal products, and as a result of giving color and protecting against corrosive destruction of metal products containing in their composition elements that can be subjected to the process of plasma electrolytic oxidation in alkaline solutions of silicates, phosphates, aluminates or sodium or potassium borates. The most important metals of technical importance that exhibit such properties are aluminum, magnesium, zinc and titanium.

The invention that was awarded the Silver Medal of the Fair was created as part of the implementation of project no. LIDER/30/0116/L-11/19/NCBR/2020 financed by the National Center for Research and Development (NCBR) as part of the LIDER XI program. More information on the project website. This is the second medal for an invention created as part of this project, as we wrote earlier.

We congratulate our inventors and wish them continued success!

EDIT (09.06.2025): On 05.06.2025, during the gala of the most important awards and distinctions INTARG® 2025, the above-mentioned invention was distinguished with the Award of the Polish Chamber of Patent Attorneys, which was presented to the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Marek Pawełczyk. Congratulations!