- You are recently graduated with a PhD degree in materials science, chemical engineering, physics or a related discipline.- You have excellent experimental and analytical skills, and you are a creative and critical thinker.- You have experience in experimental work in the area of soft matter, rheology, 3D printing and/or microfluidics.- You are highly motivated for curiosity-driven research.- You are able to report your progress in an accurate and timely fashion.- You have excellent communication skills, with fluency in both written and spoken English.- You are open for collaboration with the other team members.
For many applications, polymers have substantial advantages as compared to other materials, e.g. they are light-weight, flexible, easy to process and corrosion-resistant. By blending multiple polymers together or adding conductive or magnetic nanoparticles, multiple functionalities can be incorporated into one material. However, the resulting properties are strongly dependent on the dispersion and distribution of the nanoparticles as well as the phase morphology of for instance the conductive and non-conductive polymers and the macrostructure of the generated objects. However, the types of microscopic morphologies and macroscopic geometries that can be realized with traditional processing methods are limited. In the proposed project, you will use direct ink writing 3D printing, in combination with microfluidic mixers and channels to create novel polymeric structures. To achieve this goal, you will need to formulate material compositions resulting in conductive inks, optimize their rheology and generate and characterize 3D printed structures. The structures that you will generate will be aimed at electromagnetic shielding functionality, for which you will collaborate with other researchers working on this ERC-funded project.
The research project will be performed in the Soft Matter Rheology and Technology (SMaRT) section in the Chemical Engineering Department at KU Leuven under the supervision of Prof. Ruth Cardinaels. The research in the SMaRT group is mostly of experimental nature and aims at designing methodologies for intelligent process or product (formulation) design using so-called “complex fluids” or “soft matter”. Extensive state-of-the-art and home-built experimental facilities for the characterization of mechanical properties in the liquid state (bulk as well as interfacial rheology), combined with various techniques to characterize microstructure development during flow are available. Moreover, the lab is equipped with all major types of commercial 3D printing devices as well as several in-house adapted devices. Dielectric and electromagnetic properties can be characterized in the low frequency as well as high frequency region.
- Full-time postdoc position, initially for one year with possibility for one year extension upon positive evaluation.
- Competitive salary and additional benefits such as health insurance, access to university sports facilities, etc.
- The opportunity to work and live in one of the most innovative universities and cities in Europe. Leuven is located 20 min from Brussels, in the centre of Europe.
- International working environment and possibility to present your work on international conferences.
- Your research will form part of an ERC-funded starting grant project.
- Your research will be embedded in a world-renowned research group consisting of 5 faculty members active in the area of soft matter rheology and technology.
- A state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure