Research Overview
The research in Prof. Jasper van der Gucht's group focuses primarily on soft networks, gels, and composite materials that are formed by the spontaneous organization (or self-assembly) of macromolecules. We design new types of block copolymers with motifs that self-assemble in such a way that networks are formed in response to a certain trigger. These motifs may be bio-inspired (e.g. by collagen, silk, or elastin) or synthetic (e.g. hydrophobic, charged, or metal-coordinating). We also study composite networks, in which different functionalities are combined.
