The PhD project will be performed in the Soft Matter Rheology and Technology (SMaRT) section in the Chemical Engineering Department at KU Leuven under the supervision of Prof. Ruth Cardinaels. The research in the SMaRT group is mostly of experimental nature and aims at designing methodologies for intelligent process or product (formulation) design using so-called “complex fluids” or “soft matter”. Extensive state-of-the-art and home-built experimental facilities for the characterization of viscoelastic properties in the liquid state (bulk as well as interfacial rheology), combined with various techniques to characterize microstructure development during flow are available. Moreover, the lab is equipped with all major types of commercial 3D printing devices as well as several in-house adapted devices.
ProjectFor many applications, polymers have substantial advantages as compared to other materials, e.g. they are light-weight, flexible, easy to process and corrosion-resistant. Additional functionality can be introduced by the addition of conductive or magnetic particles. Thereby, materials can be developed for energy harvesting, electric discharge protection, electromagnetic shielding or soft robotics. However, the resulting properties are strongly dependent on the dispersion and distribution of the nanoparticles whereby multiphasic structures are of particular importance since the microstructure can act as a template to tailor the particle distribution by means of selective localization at the interface. The network formation of the particles at the interface will govern the dynamics of the interface as well as its dielectric and electromagnetic properties. This will in turn determine the development of the bulk microstructure and therefore the bulk dielectric and electromagnetic properties. In the proposed research project, the relations between on the one hand flow conditions and material properties and on the other hand the properties of the particle-covered interface will first be investigated. Subsequently, these interfacial properties will be related to the developed microstructure in the bulk system. Thereto, various in-situ and time-resolved techniques such as bulk and interfacial rheology as well as microfluidics, will be used. Finally, the dielectric and electromagnetic properties of the generated pickering emulsions will be studied to develop rational design strategies for the generation of functional multiphasic materials. Profile
Offer
Interested?For more information please contact Prof. dr. Ruth Cardinaels, tel.: +32 16 32 16 88, mail: ruth.cardinaels@kuleuven.be. Candidates can apply by submitting their CV, motivation letter and gradelists via the online application tool. Please also include the names and contact details of at least two senior researchers that are willing to write a letter of recommendation upon request. We look forward to your application and will screen it as soon as we have received it. Screening will continue until the position has been filled. You can apply for this job no later than March 15, 2021 via the
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