Advanced characterization of bioinspired and smart materials with a rheometer

Description:

Functional polymer materials can change, adapt, and react in a precise and defined manner when they are exposed to an external stimulus. Examples of such stimuli thereby include changes in temperature, exposure to light of a defined wavelength, mechanical stresses, and many more. The applied stimulus typically triggers changes on the length scale of individual molecules, which are then translated from the molecular scale to the macroscopic world. 

In this context, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) constitutes an ideal method for monitoring the mechanical properties of functional polymer materials before, during, and after applying the corresponding stimulus. In particular, modern rheometers or dynamic mechanical analyzers capable of combining two drives (rotational and linear drive) have opened new horizons in the characterization of functional polymer materials over the last few years. 

In the first part of this online seminar, Prof. Dr. Schrettl will introduce us to the wonderful world of functional materials. He will explain the relevance of these materials in current and future applications and will explain the importance of proper viscoelastic characterization. In the second part, Dr. Rodríguez Agudo will present a couple of practical examples of measurements of functional and adaptive materials with modern rheometers. Examples such as the characterization of electrothermal softening effects in nanocellulose composites, or the quantification of triple-shape-memory effect in metallopolymers will be discussed in detail.

Prof. Dr. Stephen Schrettl studied Chemistry and received his PhD in Materials Science from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Postdoctoral research at EPFL and the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) of the University of Fribourg was followed by work as a research group leader at AMI and as an affiliate member of the National Competence Center in Research Bio-inspired Materials. In June of 2022, he took up his current position at the TUM School of Life Sciences at Technical University of Munich. The research in his group focuses on addressing both fundamental and application-oriented challenges in materials science. By combining aspects of synthetic chemistry, supramolecular self-assembly, and polymer science, the research aims to develop innovative and functional polymeric materials, with a particular focus on applications in food packaging. 

Dr. José Rodríguez Agudo studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Seville (Spain) and at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and received his Ph.D. in the field of rheometry from the Institute of Fluid Mechanics at the University of Erlangen. After his Ph.D., he worked for four years at the Campus of the University of Erlangen in Busan (South Korea), where he further specialized in experimental fluid mechanics and rheometry. Since 2018 he works as lead scientist in rheometry and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for Anton Paar Germany GmbH. His responsibilities include the scientific support of customers and the development of new applications in rheology and DMA.