The Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences participated in the Third International Conference on Applications of Radiation Science and Technology – ICARST-2025 ( https://www.iaea.org/events/icarst-2025 ) in Vienna, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The goal of this conference is to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest achievements in radiation technology application, evaluate national, regional, and global initiatives, create a platform for cooperation between industry and academic institutions, and thus contribute to the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals through the wider application of these technologies.
During the conference, the Vinča Institute for Nuclear Sciences activities were presented, as well as the services of the Radiation Unit within the Laboratory for Radiation Chemistry and Physics, which includes the application of radiation for industrial, medical, and research purposes. The results of project RER1024 - "Enhancing the Use of Radiation Technologies for Improved Resource Efficiency" were particularly highlighted, and the results of the conservation of cultural heritage by gamma sterilization treatment were presented in two presentations.
The possibilities of applying gamma radiation in the process of synthesis of polymer hydrogels that would be used in systems for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, as well as for synthesizing silver nanoparticles in hydrogel matrices with the aim of their potential application as dressings for faster healing of wounds and prevention of possible infections, were also presented. Due to increasing health and environmental concerns, and the residual toxicity of widespread traditional sterilization methods, the healthcare market is increasingly moving towards radiation sterilization of medical equipment as an inevitable and dominant option. In this regard, the researchers of our institute presented the results in the field of application of ionizing gamma radiation for processing and sterilization of medical plastics, obtained as part of the research on the IAEA CRP project Radiation Effect on Polymer Materials Commonly Used in Medical Devices.
