In order to provide users of the neutron scattering instruments at the MLZ with the appropriate partially or fully deuterated materials the JCNS built up a deuteration service, primarily from our core competence areas of polymers and ethoxylation. Similar services exist at other neutron sources, such as the ILL, ISIS or ANSTO. However, we are the first dedicated deuteration laboratory for...
Platinum (Pt) loaded carbon nitride (CN) is a promising photocatalyst under visible light for green hydrogen (H2) production. We aim to develop this system in a thin polymer film to make it industrially scalable.The Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel is used as a host matrix and water storage medium to facilitate homogeneous dispersion of the catalytic centers. The hybrid film's...
Self-assembled thermoresponsive hydrogels are attractive candidates for 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. Here, we present a novel dual-stimuli system that features PDMAEMA, a weak cationic polyelectrolyte with pKa ~7.5 that is thermoresponsive when uncharged. It is combined in a triblock terpolymer with a hydrophobic polymethyl methacrylate block (PMMA, B) and a...
We have studied the heme-protein-lipid interaction with lipid bilayers. This is key for understanding the encapsulation of the iron binding heme-protein like myoglobin and phytoglobin, in lipid nanoparticles, LNPs. This type of heme-bound iron can be used to treat anaemia instead of iron in organic salts that is conventionally used. Encapsulation is needed to prevent unwanted proteolytic and...
Microplastics have become a pressing issue due to their accumulation in aquatic and terrestrial environments and their presence in the food chain. In this talk, I will present the studies undertaken to flocculate a model microplastic system, viz., polystyrene latex suspension. This system, comprised of ~140 nm polystyrene spheres (microplastic) dispersed in water, was flocculated using...
Microgels - crosslinked polymer networks swollen in a good solvent - have been used to investigate the effect of compressibility on crystal and glass formation, and on its relation with the flow proprieties of the suspensions [1]. Their compressibility strongly affects microgels at interfaces [1, 2]. Here, poly(N-isopropylacryamide) (pNIPAM)-based microgels are confined at the oil- and...
We investigated a quasi-binary liquid of 3-methyl pyridine and heavy water at the critical composition at different temperatures close to the phase transition. When adding antagonistic salt sodium tetraphenylborate the ions form locally lamellar structures that enclose the binary fluid. Then the system becomes 2-dimensional. Looking at the critical fluctuations, the dimensionality is...
PEDOT:PSS is a water-dispersable and electrically conductive polymer blend that is increasingly applied in numerous fields such as batteries and super-capacitors. While many studies focus on performance optimization, degradation issues because of humid environments are rarely discussed: PEDOT:PSS absorbs significant amounts of water (~50 wt%), which leads to a pronounced swelling factor of up...
Waterborne latex films, obtained from the dispersion of latex particles are of particular interest due to the non-content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), often mandatory under environmental legislation. However, abrupt water penetration inside the films restricts their lifespan and deteriorates the shine of the coating. In order to prepare efficient and solvent-free coatings with the low...
