News

Our group has a PhD vacancy on a project that is focussed on polymer materials that contribute to a circular economy. This PhD position is part of our DynaBranch consortium that consists of partners from Wageningen University, Eindhoven University of Technology, Avans Hogeschool and SABIC as industrial partner/sponsor. Our consortium was awarded a KIC Circularity grant from NWO to develop a program on circular polymers.

The aim of this program is to increase the recyclability of an important class of engineering plastics: polycarbonates. For this, we will (chemically) modify polycarbonates by dynamic-covalent chemistry. These new polymers will be combined with existing polycarbonate (as part of a recycling stream) to achieve (re)processing that is compatible with existing infrastructure.

The overall project will cover topics from organic/polymer synthesis, polymer processing and characterisation, ageing and recycling studies, as well as socio-economic analyses related to the acceptance of these new materials.

If you would like to find out more about the vacancy and/or if you wish to apply, please use this link.

Just before he will defend his PhD thesis, Sybren’s paper on the stabilising effect of metal coordination in imine-based covalent adaptable networks has been published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications. Moreover, the work features on the front cover of the journal.

In the paper, Sybren describes the effect of choice of metal ion, corresponding counter anion, coordination motif and metal-to-ligand ratio on the material properties of polyimine networks.

You can read the full paper here.

Simon’s first paper has been accepted in Frontiers in Chemistry. Together with Marijn, Simon showed how a new dynamic-covalent motif, based on the TetraAzaAdamantane-boronic ester linkage, can be used to create covalent adaptable networks that are more robust than conventional (gel-like) boronic ester-based networks.

You can read the full paper here.

The paper describing the work by Sybren and Martijn on phase separation in imine-based covalent adaptable networks has been published in the journal Macromolecules. On top of that, their work features on the inside cover of the issue the paper was published in.

In the paper, we describe the surprise finding of phase separation in our previously developed polyimine networks. For this, we pioneered the use of Raman confocal microscopy to reveal the phase-separated nature of the networks. We found that the phase separation not only affected the appearance of the materials but –more notably– also had a noticeable effect on their thermal-mechanical properties.

You can read the full paper here.

We’re hiring! Our group has a 1-year postdoc vacancy for a position in the field of covalent adaptable networks. Please check out the full vacancy on our university’s website for more details and on how to apply.

This month Maarten joined the Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry at Ghent University as a guest professor. For the next three years, he will spend part of this time in Ghent, to continue the collaborative work he started lasted year during his sabbatical stay in the Polymer Chemistry Research Group of Prof. Filip Du Prez.

Lucas’ most recent paper has been published in Advanced Materials Interfaces. This work, which Lucas performed partially together with undergraduate student Jelle, presents a facile and effective two-step (grafting-to) strategy to introduce a thermoresponsive polymer as a responsive coating on a surface. To this end, Lucas reacted block copolymers of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) onto a prefunctionalised poly(dopamine) primer layer. Not only did Lucas study in detail the thermoresponsive properties and degree of hydration of the (block) copolymers as a function of temperature, but he also studied their antifouling performance.

Click here, to read the full paper.

On November 7, Maarten will give a Diligentia lecture for the Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Natuurkunde (Royal Society of Physics) at theater Diligentia in The Hague. This lecture, which is aimed at the general audience (with an interest in physical sciences in a broad sense) will address the development of covalent adaptable networks (‘vitrimers’) as novel type of polymers that can combine mechanical robustness with processability.

For more information, please check out the Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Natuurkunde Diligentia website.

Our group is well represented at the upcoming NWO Chains conference, with several contributions to the poster sessions. On top of that, Annemieke will present her work on self-healing (non)-fluorinated antifouling polymer brushes during a lecture on Wednesday September 21. Please find your way to the Functional Polymer Materials session from 14:10-15:10h in Room 65 to hear Annemieke’s results on how to prepare polymer (brush coatings), that are simultaneously anti-(polymer) fouling, self-healing and environmentally benign (i.e., low fluorine content).

This month Thijmen van Voorthuizen started as PhD student, working on a project that is part of the NWA-ORC (“Research along routes by Consortia”) consortium OBSeRVeD (Odour Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Diseases), which was successfully obtained with Dr. Louis de Smet from ORC/WUR. Thijmen will work on the development of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to be used as sensor of odour molecules. Good luck, Thijmen!