Dr. Carolina van Baalen
Dr. Carolina van Baalen
Staff of Professorship for Soft Materials and Interfaces
ETH Zürich
Additional information
Research area
In my current research I realize the propulsion of colloidal swimmers at fluid interfaces by means of laser illumination. Localized heating of the colloidal swimmer due to the laser light induces Marangoni flows, giving rise to propulsion of the particle. I study how such so-called "Marangoni simmers" can be emloyed to build, design, and control 2D colloidal structures at liquid-liquid interface. The focus of my work includes the design and behaviour of active colloidal swimmers at an oil-water interface, as well as colloidal interactions at fluid interfaces.
My work is part of the ITN Active Matter.
I recieved a Cum Laude Master’s degree in Food Technology at Wageningen University in 2019. In my Master’s program I focused on the physics and physical chemistry of food systems. During my MSc. thesis I investigated colloidal gelation of protein particles in collaboration with the Soft Matter lab at the University of Amsterdam, where I discovered my excitement for colloids and non-equilibrium phenomena. After obtaining my Master's degree I worked for a short period as Junior scientist at Danone Nutricia Research. In January 2020 I joined the Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, where I currently persue my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Lucio Isa.
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