RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

60 5. Meso and microscale theoretical and simulation methods. 6. Structure-dynamics relations of polymer melts. 7. Coatings science. 8. Emulsions and dispersions. 9. Wetting and fouling. Within the broad field of physical chemistry, the PC group concentrates on studying liquids and surfaces with the following related and overlapping subthemes: 1. Colloid and polymer mixtures This subtheme focuses on the bulk behavior of complex (macromolecular and colloidal) systems. The goal is to understand and predict i) the co-/self-assembly of surfactants, colloids and polymers and ii) the bulk phase behavior of colloid-polymer mixtures, colloidal dispersions and polymeric systems. Applications of co-/self-assembly involve, for example, the controlled encapsulation of compounds that need protection and/or need to be released at a desired rate for health applications and the quantification of the stability or control of the composition of formulations used in food and coating applications. For bulk phase behavior, the goal is to advance the state of the art in understanding and predicting the phase stability of complex mixtures of colloids and polymers resembling real-life systems in which, for instance, charges on colloids and/or polymers are present, the polymers and/or colloids have a certain stickiness, the polymers have a certain stiffness or there are soft (polymeric) repulsions. To this end, we synthesize well-defined primary colloidal and polymeric building blocks (including polymer latexes, liquid phase exfoliated graphene and (bioinspired) silica) and formulate stable colloid/polymer inks. Applications involve understanding the dynamics and phase stability of complex mixtures such as coatings, paints, functional inks for printed electronics, heat storage materials or food products linked to the next subtheme. 2. Polymers and colloids at solid surfaces This subtheme concerns the design and manufacture of surfaces with specific functionalities and properties using tailormade polymers, colloids, surface modification and deposition strategies. It involves the development of well-defined polymers and colloidal particles (organic/inorganic) and the combination of these into functional composites, (crosslinked, porous) networks or films. The main objective is to achieve advanced materials with functional surfaces and advanced properties, such as controlled wettability, self-healing, anti-fouling, friction reduction, swelling/shrinking, on-demand (water) absorption/release and stretchable conductors. This is achieved by designing the chemistry and topography of the materials’ surfaces and investigating their chemical and physical properties to finetune the material functionality and properties. This work is highly connected to the study of coatings and can contribute to the development of functional coatings, e.g., with self- healing abilities, or to the fundamental understanding of interactions in complex mixtures and environments, e.g., additives in paint formulations or applied coating films with self- segregating/self-stratified components. Furthermore, we create functional (electrically and thermally conductive, porous, flexible, stretchable) multiscale 3D networks by combining bottom-up self-organization and top-down approaches such as (3D) printing. This work is relevant for applications in printed electronics, water harvesters and energy generation, conversion and storage. 3. Polymers and colloids at liquid-liquid interfaces This subtheme addresses the development of different types of advanced emulsions and dispersions. This includes the synthesis of colloidal polymer particles in emulsions with well- defined polymer composition and surface stabilization components in order to study their interaction with other colloidal particles in the system, e.g., mimicking water-borne coating