News

In December 2025, a scientific article entitled "Comparative Role of rGO, AgNWs, and rGO–AgNWs Hybrid Structure in the EMI Shielding Performance of Polyaniline/PCL-Based Flexible Films" was published in the journal Molecules 2025, Volume 30, Issue 24, 4693 (IF=4.6). 

In November 2025, a scientific article entitled "How Method Matters: The Impact of Material Characterisation Techniques on Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Moulding Simulations" was published in the journal Polymers 2025, Volume 17, Issue 22, 3086 (IF=4.9). The article is the result of joint research work by FTPO, PCCL and MUL, with the participation of authors Maurício Azevedo, Silvester Bolka and Clemens Holzer.

In October 2025, a scientific article entitled "Synergistic Integration of Polypyrrole, Graphene Oxide, and Silver Nanowires into Flexible Polymeric Films for EMI Shielding Applications" was published in the journal Molecules2025, Volume 30, Issue 21, 4221 (IF=4.6). The article is the result of joint research work within the Grinshield project, in which the authors participated: Brankica Gajić, Marija Radoičić, Muhammad Yasir, Warda Saeed, Silvester Bolka, Blaž Nardin, Jelena Potočnik, Danica Bajuk-Bogdanović, Gordana Ćirić-Marjanović, Zoran Šaponjić and Svetlana Jovanović.

At the Faculty of Polymer Technology, our work is strongly focused on sustainable development and the circular economy. With modern knowledge and research, we contribute to the development of materials and solutions that reduce environmental impact and enable longer-lasting use of resources. In this spirit, in 2019 we co-organized the first International Circular Packaging Conference with the Institute for Cellulose and Paper, aiming to connect academia, industry, designers, and brands while fostering partnerships to transform linear packaging supply chains into circular ones.

This year, we successfully held the 4th International Circular Packaging Conference (CPC) at the Rog Center in Ljubljana. The event brought together over 90 participants from 21 countries, attending both onsite and online.

Yesterday, we welcomed a new generation of students to the Faculty of Polymer Technology and together embarked on the 2025/2026 academic year.

Today, September 16, 2025, at the Innovation Day at the Brdo Congress Center near Kranj, our faculty, together with partners Additio, L.V.P., TAB-IPM, and KorX, received a bronze national award for innovation from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).

In September, Express Polymer Letters (IF=2.6) published the November issue of the journal, in which we published an article entitled Basalt fibers as a sustainable alternative to glass fibers in the reinforcement of polyamide 6 for gear applications. The authors of the article are Rebeka Lorber, József Gábor Kovács, Andreas Hausberger, Polona Umek, Miroslav Huskić, Aleš Hančič.

In August, Express Polymer Letters (IF=2.6) published the October issue of the journal, in which we published an article entitled Repurposed carbon fibre as a polyamide 66 reinforcement in gear applications: Correlation of composition and properties. The authors of the article are Rebeka Lorber, Janez Slapnik, Borut Černe, Andreas Hausberger and Jan Sumfleth.

I come from Koroška, more precisely from Prevalje, but I currently live in Škofja Loka. I completed my secondary education at the Ravne na Koroškem Gymnasium, where I also graduated.

In August, together with colleagues from the Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, we published an article entitled Additive-Free Multiple Processing of PLA Pre-Consumer Waste: Influence on Mechanical and Thermal Properties in the journal Polymers (IF(2024)=4.9). The authors of the article are Aleksandra Nešić, Rebeka Lorber, Silvester Bolka, Blaž Nardin and Branka Pilić.

I come from Mislinja, a small town near Slovenj Gradec, which is considered the administrative, cultural, and educational center of the Koroška region. That is where I attended a general secondary school, which gave me a broad general education and a good foundation for further study. I developed analytical thinking and prepared myself for the challenges that awaited me in higher education.

On June 4 and 5, 2025, the Faculty of Polymer Technology (FTPO) held a two-day free international conference on composite materials in Slovenj Gradec, bringing together more than 90 participants and experts from academia and industry. Participants from more than ten countries attended the event in person and online.

At the end of my first year of master's studies, I already knew that I wanted to focus my professional career on research in the field of biopolymers. I am excited about this field because it combines advanced approaches to green chemistry, innovations in synthesis, and real solutions to contemporary challenges. Wanting to further my knowledge in an international environment, I started looking for opportunities through the Erasmus+ exchange program. The right opportunity presented itself in Dublin, where I was accepted by the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), known for its biopolymer synthesis department.

A scientific article entitled 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻-𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘-𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 was published in the renowned journal Polymer Composites (Impact Factor: 4.8), published by Wiley. 

On Friday, May 9, 2025, a formal ceremony for the awarding of diplomas and awards by the Faculty of Polymer Technology was held at the Slovenj Gradec Cultural Center.

On March 24, 2025, Springer Cham published a book titled Sustainable Nanocomposites with Green Biomaterials. The editors of the book are Rishabha Malviya and Sonali Sundram. The Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Blaž Nardin and Senior Lecturer Silvester Bolka, who are the authors of the chapter "Tailore-Made Sustainable Nanocomposites for Injection Moulding and Fused Granulate Fabrication", also participated in the publication of the book. The book is also available in the library of the FTPO.

The latest issue of the international biannual journal UserCom (Mettler Toledo, No. 60, May 2025), intended for users of thermal analysis, presents the results of research conducted by our faculty in the field of biobased nanocomposites. The article entitled Toughness modification of PLA-based polymer blends with nanocrystalline cellulose" by Silvestr Bolka, Teja Pešl, Tamara Rozman and Blaž Nardin, presents research in the field of improving the mechanical properties of PLA-based polymer blends with the addition of surface-unmodified nanocrystalline cellulose.

On the last day of the MIS 2025 International Industrial Fair, April 11, 2025, our faculty, in cooperation with the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chemical Industry Association – Plastics and Rubber Section, successfully held a major professional event under the slogan "Where Plastic Industry Meets the Future."

My career path began with a secondary school education in chemical engineering, which I obtained in Ruše. I come from Maribor, and when we had laboratory exercises at the Faculty of Polymer Technology (FTPO) during secondary school, they presented the faculty and employment opportunities to us. This inspired me and cemented my decision to continue my studies

Lea Jeriček and Benjamin Podlogar, second-year master's students in Polymer Technology, gained valuable experience at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague in the Department of Polymers from September to December. We invite you to read about their impressions.