Maria TOMOAIA-COTISEL1,2, Gheorghe TOMOAIA2,3,Aurora MOCANU4*
Abstract. This article is aimed to pay tribute to Professor Emil Chifu, a brilliant Romanian scientist, a physical chemist and biophysicist, from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB). He had many fields of research interest: Physical Chemistry of thin films and biological membrane models, Langmuir monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett surface layers, Chemical Thermodynamics, Colloidal and Surface Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, and Physicochemical Hydrodynamics of free drops (Marangoni effect), the behavior of liquids in cosmos, as well as the Chemistry of natural compounds with industrial and medical applications. Professor Emil Chifu is recognized in the academic world, because he published excellent articles in these research fields. His achievements were recognized by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) of the United States of America. Through an international competition, Professor Chifu proposed an international research project (1977), accepted by NASA (1978), and gained the first scientific research project in Romania, between UBB and NASA of USA (1977-1987). This research project was approved for exploring in cosmos by NASA and it was successfully achieved in SpaceLab-3 Mission of NASA (1985). Professor Chifu and his research team received the prestigious Gheorghe Spacu prize of Romanian Academy in 1983, for the scientific research realized in this international research project with NASA. Certainly, Professor Emil Chifu is considered as a major promoter for his innovative work and impact on the surface flow of liquids and drop dynamics, in the absence of gravity, under the influence of interfacial tension gradients (Marangoni effect and Langmuir-Blodgett superficial layer) on free drop dynamics in cosmos. Therefore, Professor Chifu contributed to the revolutionary work in surface chemistry, as other influential scientists, like Carlo Marangoni, Irving Langmuir and Katharine Burr Blodgett, are also considered major promoters for their innovative work in surface chemistry. Professor Chifu was also a scientist of great character and an unforgettable chief (1971-1991) of the Physical Chemistry Department in Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. He developed physical chemistry and surface chemistry and encouraged us to fight for the best science and academic teaching in Romania, showing the scientific research life to the world through our achievements.
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1 Professor, Dr. Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Scientific Research Centre of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, 11 Arany Janos St., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; mcotisel@gmail.com
2 Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov St., RO-050044, Bucharest, Romania
3 Emeritus Professor Dr., Habil., MD,Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, 47 General Traian Mosoiu St., RO-400132, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; tomoaia2000@yahoo.com
4 Associated Professor Dr. Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Scientific Research Centre of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, 11 Arany Janos St., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
* Corresponding author: mocanu.aurora@gmail.com
PUBLISHED in Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Physics and Chemistry, Volume 10, No2