RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

26 Valorization and societal impact The societal relevance of the research of the group is clearly reflected in the chosen application areas (water, gas, electrons) that are highly connected to the societal challenges of a clean environment, the circular economy and renewable energy. Also, about 50% of our academic research is performed in close collaboration with industry. Moreover, the strong focus on the valorization of our research through the Membrane Innovation Centre Eindhoven (MIC/e) guarantees strong industrial and societal embedding. As the MIC/E is strongly tied to the academic part of the research group, valorization naturally follows academic research and vice versa. Knowledge developed within the group is safeguarded within the group while this knowledge is simultaneously valorized in direct MIC/e research projects with industry. Most important is our valorization through people: our MSc and PhD graduates consistently and rapidly find positions after graduation, some in academia but mostly in the membrane and chemical industry. The impact and valorization of our research is evidenced by our collaborations with over 150 industrial companies with a background in membranes, food, dairy and beverages processing, water and wastewater treatment, power and energy, chemical engineering and chemistry. Prospects Development of the research field The new research lines established since the start of the group in 2016 will be further expanded in the years to come. With the strong ties between materials science and process technology in the group, major developments are expected regarding the dedicated chemical and physical functionalization and morphological control of polymer membranes and electrodes and their performance under more extreme conditions such as complex multicomponent feed mixtures or high driving forces (pressure, concentration, potential). Specifically, the topics that have recently been or will be addressed are: • Host-guest layer-by-layer membrane architectures • Isoporous membranes based on liquid crystals • Polymer membrane design for electrochemical energy storage and chemical conversion • Interactions at the membrane interface in complex multicomponent feed mixtures • Porous electrodes with functional coatings Viability The defined thematic research lines (control of porosity, control of functionality, module, reactor and process design and performance evaluation) combined with the selected application areas (water, gas, electrons), a uniquemembrane infrastructure and the coverage of the full knowledge chain ranging from polymer membrane and electrode preparation, characterization and application give the group a very unique position both nationally and internationally. Moreover, the strong emphasis of the Dutch government and the EU on the transition to a circular economy with ambitious sustainability goals and a strong focus on recovery and reuse clearly confirms the importance of the defined research portfolio of the group and its raison d’être. This is also reflected in the increasing number of PhD students, BSc and MSc students and researchers in the group and the diversity of funding sources, both nationally and internationally funded, from second and third (indirect governmental and contract research) resources in large consortia and in small bilateral collaborations from the personal research grants of staff members. With the recent start a young staff member with expertise on electrode design, characterization and application, the research portfolio will be further expanded. The group is well-embedded in the department, overarching the two research disciplines of Materials Science and Process