ArelPOTKAM

Arel University Polymer Technologies and Composite Application and Research Center (ArelPOTKAM) ArelPOTKAM Center Director Assoc. Prof. Yeşim Müge Şahin shared valuable information about the applications conducted at the center, which has been operating since 2017, its characteristics and the training provided at the center.

Arel University Polymer Technologies and Composite Application and Research Center's characteristics, what facilities does it have and in which areas and how do you conduct your work?

ArelPOTKAM, the Polymer Technologies and Composite Application and Research Center, is a research center equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure such as nanotechnology and 3D Prototyping, which can address every sector into which materials enter and function across a very broad industry spectrum. Our center is a structure where polymers and composite materials, which are a niche field, undergo production and characterization, and work is carried out in this area. Starting from the idea of the need to establish such a center, we founded ArelPOTKAM in 2017 with the aim of contributing to both our country's technology and production. ArelPOTKAM, which received the status of an R&D center approved by YÖK in the same year as its establishment, has signed numerous projects and innovative products since 2017. It acquired an extensive polymer and composite production characterization infrastructure with six major projects and the university's in-kind and cash contributions. There was a particular need for such a center in the field of polymers and composite materials for both industry and academia. Around our university there are many organized industrial zones and companies working in this field. Through joint exchange of ideas with industry and academia, we have become a specialized center in polymer and composite fields. Within the center, in addition to characterization equipment such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM), DSC, TGA, FT-IR, UV and mechanical testing, there are single-screw and twin-screw plastic extruders and plastic injection molding machines designed for pilot production. An SLS 3D printer operating on the principle of producing next-generation prototype products using laser sintering is also in our center's equipment inventory. In our center, along with pilot production and characterization from both academia and industry, we participate in TUBITAK, KOSGEB and BAP projects.

Can you tell us about the innovative work you are doing at ArelPOTKAM? Have you conducted any recent innovative work especially in the composites field?

ArelPOTKAM is a specialized center in a niche field where specialized materials are developed and where polymer and composite companies can conduct R&D and D&D without stopping their production lines. It carries out work and provides support in both characterization and application areas. There are many studies here in the production of polymer and composite materials, nanotechnology and 3D prototyping. In many areas where our country is dependent on imports, ArelPOTKAM works on formulation development and innovative material production. In our center, specialized materials on which we are dependent for imports, granules and filaments are produced in accordance with the requests of companies. Polymers and composite materials used in textile and medical sectors, automotive, aerospace industry, paints, food, chemistry and many areas of machinery industry are produced. We work on nanotechnology and rapid 3D prototyping, and we can produce filters from nanomembranes that viruses cannot pass through, or specialized composite materials on which we are dependent for imports. We conduct formulation studies for their three-dimensional prototyping. At the same time, we work on rapid wound-healing patches in the medical sector, artificial organ/tissue components and various biomaterials. For example, in one of our projects, we are providing solutions to vascular incompatibilities that cause 55 percent of patients to die during liver transplants with our personalized stent production. At the same time, with the latest project we received, we are developing specialized molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier and provide opportunities in both imaging and treatment of brain cancer and tumors, and by continuing all their biological research, we are contributing to the drug and medical sector. We can develop many materials for special purposes that the sector also needs (antimicrobial, biodegradable, flame-resistant, durable) and produce three-dimensional prototypes from them in our center. We had groundbreaking work in spinal cord paralysis that made headlines. At the same time, we are conducting studies on sensor-featured, antimicrobial, flame-resistant textile products and biodegradable packaging systems that extend shelf life in food. We have had significant work in the field of nanomaterials and biomaterials on which we are 85 percent dependent on imports. Let me tell you a bit about another project of ours, the mask. Using nanotechnology in the mask, we realized the production of a breathable membrane that is antimicrobial and that viruses cannot pass through. With many proprietary molecules and additives we developed in our center, we produce innovative materials for the sensor, medical, medical, coating and composite sectors. We developed a kit with one of our proprietary molecules that helped determine the amount and quantity of Iron (2) sulfate, which causes pollution in soil, lakes, and even in our blood, and obtained a patent. This kit is actually a technological yet inexpensive and disposable product that determines the Iron (2) Sulfate content inside based on its color when you pour the lake water on it without using expensive equipment. Each of our developed 60 proprietary molecules is of a quality that could break new ground in different fields. One of them inhibits breast cancer by 70 percent, a natural and active substance. One is a product that could be used in lithium-ion batteries capable of storing very high amounts of energy. Food sector and all packaging systems have shifted to biodegradable and breathable packaging systems that do not destroy the nutritional value of food. Here we can make packaging systems that are antioxidant, to which viruses and bacteria never stick, that keep bread moldy-free for over thirty days or protect cheese from spoiling for a very long time, that can increase shelf life.

You also provide training at the center, can you share these trainings with us?

Training is organized at our center related to the areas of expertise of faculty members and expert personnel involved. In addition, training planning is carried out according to requests from polymer, composite, masterbatch and packaging companies operating in the field of polymers and composites in industrial zones, bringing a new breath to university-industry cooperation. The training we provide are; Structural and Thermal Characterization in Polymers TGA-DSC-FT-IR-UV-FEGSEM, Basic Plastic Materials Training, Polymers in Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Plastic Compounding Technology, Technological Applications for Food Packaging Systems, 3D Printer and Prototyping Technique.

How do you evaluate the contributions of university research and application centers to industries?

Research and application centers assist in the development of new technologies and innovative products. This can increase the competitive power of industries and expand their market share. ArelPOTKAM is an important innovation source for industry through R&D activities in polymer technologies. Particularly, new polymer materials developed for the plastics industry enable the production of lighter, more durable and desired property products. This increases the competitive power of industry. At the same time, research and application centers play an important role in providing students and researchers with practical skills and training qualified workforce for industries. Industries can educate their future employees through these centers or hire talented researchers. ArelPOTKAM operates as a training center that develops experts in polymer technologies. Students and researchers gain practical skills in the center's laboratories, and these abilities contribute to industry as qualified workforce. Research and application centers can also provide consulting to industries on solving technical problems, product development and process improvement. This can help companies increase productivity and reduce costs. ArelPOTKAM, with its expertise in polymer technologies, provides consulting/R&D/D&D services to industries on material production, analyses and process improvement. For example, a plastics manufacturer can optimize product quality by obtaining material characterization services. A company operating dependently on imports for materials can easily develop its innovative product range through formulation studies in our center. Another characteristic is that they provide industries with the opportunity to conduct research at lower cost as an alternative to R&D activities they carry out within their own organization. This is particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises. Industrial companies can reduce their R&D costs by cooperating with ArelPOTKAM. Custom R&D and order-based D&D projects provide access to university laboratories, which enables R&D activities to be conducted effectively in terms of cost and knowledge accumulation. Another of its most important characteristics is that it provides cooperation opportunities. Research centers create innovation through cooperation between universities and industries. This cooperation can produce results that are valuable both scientifically and commercially and can lead to the initiation of new projects. ArelPOTKAM creates cooperation opportunities with industry organizations, enabling the development of new polymer technologies. For example, a packaging company can cooperate with the center to develop sustainable packaging materials and bring these new products to market. These centers also make significant contributions to sectors in terms of knowledge transfer. Universities encourage knowledge transfer by transferring research results to industries. This can facilitate the commercialization of new scientific findings and technological advances. ArelPOTKAM accelerates knowledge transfer by transferring research results in polymer technologies to industries. This enables industry to rapidly adopt new polymer technologies and commercialize them. In conclusion, research and application centers can contribute to the country's economy and technology by providing industries with analysis services, R&D work, domestic production opportunities, knowledge accumulation and business development opportunities. These types of centers serve as a bridge between the industry and universities, playing an important role for both the academic and business worlds.