RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

Molecular Systems and Materials Chemistry (MSMC) 75 8. The impact of monomer sequence, crystallinity, architecture and dispersity on the self- assembly characteristics (formation, morphology, stability) of water-soluble copolymers into hydrocolloids. 9. In-situ, real-time monitoring of the self-organization of responsive materials composed of (anisotropic) particles. Viability Self-Organizing Soft Matter’s activities started in 2011 with the appointment of Prof. Voets as assistant professor within the laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, led by Prof. Meijer and the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. The relatively young group has already acquired a frontrunner position in the field of the characterization of complex materials and especially functional soft materials with a hierarchical architecture composed of nanoscopic building blocks through dynamic interactions. The high-level interdisciplinary fundamental research program of Prof. Voets is held in high regard in the (inter)national community as an excellent contribution to science and society, wherein new soft materials are critical to developing innovative solutions to address societal challenges in areas such as health, sustainability, agrifood and energy. Unique to her vision and approach is the focus on complex (non-model) systems made up of small (mostly macro-organic) building blocks, the behavior of which can only be studied with advanced (and sometimes tailor-made) technologies that provide the necessary spatiotemporal resolution (milliseconds, sub-mm). The research of the experimental soft matter group transcends the classical disciplinary boundaries between chemistry, physics and biology, closing the gap between physical and synthetic (polymer) chemistry and advancing the quantitative mesoscale characterization of nanostructured (soft) materials via scattering tools and super-resolution microscopy. The group utilizes this knowledge and expertise for its own original research but this also forms the catalyst for numerous scientific and public-private partnerships at a local, national and international level. The group plays a central role in the world-renowned soft matter community at TU/e as the only laboratory with a principle focus on quantitative experimental soft matter, thereby closing the gap between other groups focusing on the synthesis of self-assembling materials, the theory of self-organization and its application in industrially-relevant processes and products. There is strong interaction between the department, ICMS and EPL on the above-mentioned subjects, as well as on the development and application of new theoretical and measurement methods for the characterization of complex soft materials to address the technical challenges of the research. The group has a strong track record in acquiring funding through prestigious personal grants and (inter)national collaborative programs involving three to 24 partners from academia and industry. In the future, the group will strengthen ongoing collaborations and establish new connections to consolidate the high-quality research program, maintain (inter)national visibility, explore innovative application areas and secure funding which is complementary to personal grants in collaboration with large (inter)national and interdisciplinary research consortia in the Netherlands and Europe. The research strategy is an excellent match with the strategic program of the Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, aligned with the TU/e strategic area of smart materials and health and well-positioned within (inter)national consortia such as Soft Advanced Materials (SAM), Functional Molecular Systems (FMS) and Supercol (ITN EU). References 1. Pujals, S.; Feiner-Gracia, N.; Delcanale, P.; Voets, I.; Albertazzi, L., Super-resolution microscopy as a powerful tool to study complex synthetic materials. Nature Reviews Chemistry 2019, 3 (2), 68-84. 2. Petkau-Milroy, K.; Ianiro, A.; Ahn, M. M. L.; Magana, J. R.; Vleugels, M. E. J.; Lamers, B. A. G.; Tuinier, R.; Voets, I. K.; Palmans, A. R. A.; Meijer, E. W., Architecture-Dependent Interplay between Self-Assembly and Crystallization in Discrete Block Co-Oligomers. ACS Macro Letters 2020, 9 (1), 38-42.