RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

Molecular Systems and Materials Chemistry (MSMC) 81 in public outreach programs, including visitation days, the VWO workweek and displays at Glow, the LSC-PM display at the London Museum of Science, Dutch Design Week and other international showcases. SFD appears regularly in national and international newsfeeds, most recently for the LC-based polymer actuators and soft robots that have received national and international press attention and will be exhibited in Museum Boerhaave in Leiden. The valorization of our research involves four distinct routes: 1. Direct knowledge transfer to industry SFD engages in the direct transfer of knowledge via bilateral projects, frequent joint publications with industrial partners and frequent lectures at industrial partners. In 2019 alone, these collaborations resulted, for example, in >10 joint papers on stimuli-responsive materials and devices. In the evaluation period, many patents have been filed that are derived from collaborative work with companies. Moreover, SFD members have frequently been involved as advisors or boards members in multinationals, SMEs and start-ups. 2. Knowledge transfer through spin-off companies Several companies have spun off from SFD over the past few years. Amongst them are Lusoco (https://lusoco.com/) that develops standalone energy-generating signage, Peer+ (now Merck, https://www.merckgroup.com/en/brands/pm/licrivision.html) for switchable windows and SolarExcel (acquired by DSM, https://www.dsm.com) that makes textured foils for solar cells.Other spin-offsduring this timeframehavebeenFreshStrips (Merck’sDisplaying Futures Award 2016, NOW’s chemistry start-up of the year 2017, Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award 2017) for food sensor labels and ClimAd Technology (https://climadtechnology.com) that produces polymer foils for smart window applications. 3. Knowledge transfer via our students The specific mix of fundamental and applied frontier research prepares our MSc, PDengs and PhD graduates for a career in academia and industry by providing them with the latest valuable knowledge, skills and capabilities in smart materials and devices. 4. Joint lab for Device Integrated Responsive Materials (DIRM) . The SFD group and the Electronic Paper Display Institute of the South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics of the SCNU established a joint research laboratory on Device Integrated Responsive Materials in Guangzhou, China, in 2013. The mission of the joint lab is to bridge the gap between academic results and industrial products and to bring stimuli- responsive functional materials and devices closer to the market. This is realized through, for instance, recently built pilot lines to upscale ‘smart’ window devices that were established as a proof of principle by the SFD group. Knowledge exchange is achieved through visiting (PhD/ MSc) students and staff members. Research facilities The group is well-equipped for the characterization of molecules and materials. For example, the following equipment is available: a DSC, TGA, FTIR, UV-vis/NIR spectrometer, DMA, DMTA and tensile testers, a polarizing optical microscope, a fluorescence spectrometer, coating machines, a Bruker DektakXT profilometer, a LP50 ink-jet printer, a Hyrel EHR 3D printer, a Leica DCM 8 microscope and two Lyncée digital holographic microscopes (both transmission and reflection mode). For maskless lithography, we have a dynamic mirror device (DMD) and imaging ellipsometry.