Professor Markus Gallei, Universität Des Saarlandes: "Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Architectures"
- Sponsor
- Professor Xiao Su
- Originating Calendar
- School of Chemical Sciences Seminars of Interest - event calendar
Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Architectures
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Gallei
Polymer Chemistry, Universität des Saarlandes
Scientific Director of Saarene, Saarland Center for Energy Materials and Sustainability
Over the last decade, stimuli-responsive polymers have attracted considerable attention for a range
of important applications.1,2 Such polymers are capable of changing their conformation and solubility,
or they can even break or form covalent bonds upon a change of temperature or pH value, upon light
irradiation, by using electrochemical stimuli, or by the presence of an electrical or magnetic field, or by
combinations thereof.3-6 The presentation will focus on two polymer classes, which contain at least one
selectively addressable segment, either chemically or physically: (i) the microphase separation of block
copolymers is exploited in the bulk state but also using the non-solvent induced phase separation
(NIPS) process for the preparation of nanoporous and switchable structures to gain access to flexible
integral asymmetric membranes (Fig. 1, left). The selective isoporous layer can be altered by external
triggers, such as redox chemistry, pH value, or temperature. This switching capability enables efficient,
fully reversible control of water flux, thereby facilitating component separation. (ii) Functional opal
films prepared by using the so-called melt-shear organization technique based on core-shell particles
will be highlighted and discussed in more detail.7,8 Within polymeric opals, external triggers can lead to
fast and reversible changes in their intriguing optical properties, which could be easily processed into
films or 3D-printed into complex objects (Fig. 1, right).9-12 A major benefit of self-assembled polymeric
materials is their inexpensive and convenient preparation, giving a good optical performance. The talk
will provide recent advances in the rational design of functional (porous) switchable materials with
hierarchical architectures. The preparation strategies presented herein will enable numerous
applications in sensing and smart membrane technologies.