Complex Materials

Research Profile

We investigate engineering approaches for the fabrication of artificial complex materials that combine some of the exquisite structural features found in natural biological materials like bone, seashells and trees with the wealth of chemical compositions available for the manufacture of synthetic materials.

To create artificial complex materials, we (1) study the fundamentals involved in the self- and directed assembly of materials at different length scales, and (2) investigate innovative ways to integrate the organic and inorganic worlds into bioinspired hybrid systems. On the basis of this fundamental knowledge, we (3) develop functional materials for energy, biomedical and smart structural applications.

Among directed assembly processes, we investigate for example the influence of magnetic and mechanical stimuli on the colloidal behaviour of suspended anisotropic particles, and the co-assembly of particles, droplets and bubbles in complex suspensions for 3D printing and other processing routes. Through such assembly approaches we have been able to create bulk composite materials with unusual reinforcement architectures, and micro-capsules with tunable size and chemistries using microfluidic devices. The resulting complex materials have been exploited as designer microcapsules for on-demand release, programmable self-shaping materials, hierarchical porous materials for waste heat harvesting and tunable scaffolds for tissue regeneration.