Time: 6:30pmVenue: Skeel Lecture Theatre, People's Palace, Mile End
'The Chain Straighteners'
Kees Bastiaansen, Professor of Materials
Traditional polymers exhibit an unperturbed random coil configuration and have properties which limit their use. In the past decades, new polymers and processing routes were discovered resulting in extended-chain materials with exceptional mechanical, optical and electronic properties. Equally importantly, the physical structuring of these polymers in one-, two- and three-dimensions further broadened the range of applications of these systems. As a consequence, polymers are now used in, for instance, high performance composites, flat panel displays, telecommunication and electronics. An overview is presented of the main breakthroughs in the structuring of polymers from the molecular level to macroscopic dimensions. The state-of-the-art is discussed and some future applications in sensors and actuators, smart textiles and green energy are presented.
Professor Bastiaansen is a part-time research professor in the School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary and he is also affiliated with the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in The Netherlands. His research interests include polymeric materials and devices in applications such as ballistics, displays, green energy and biomedical applications. A special emphasis is devoted to the structuring of polymers combined with self-organization. He has more than 120 publications in peer reviewed journals and is a co-inventor of more than 40 internationally filed patents. He also has an active interest in valorization of academic research with an emphasis on start-up companies.
Contact information:
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