Titel Deelnemers "Responsive polymers and polymeric materials : from sugar responsive polymers to halochromic materials" "Gertjan Vancoillie" "Polymer film formation in cement mortars modified with water-soluble polymers" "Elke KNAPEN, Dionys VAN GEMERT" "The modification of cement mortars with small amounts of water-soluble polymers (polyvinyl alcohol-acetate, methylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose) is studied. During hardening, two processes can take place, i.e. cement hydration and polymer film or bridge formation. Due to the very low polymer contents, the formation of polymer films is generally not considered. In this paper, evidence is given of the presence of polymer films or bridges in mortars modified with 1% of polyvinyl alcohol-acetate or methylcellulose. A contribution to the flexural strength of these mortars is found. By means of SEM investigation, polymer bridges are detected between the layered Ca(OH)2 crystals. Additional bonds are created which strengthen the preferential cleavage sites. Furthermore, polymer films or bridges are intergrown within the cement matrix on a submicron scale." "Clickable initiators, monomers and polymers in controlled radical polymerizations: a prospective combination in polymer science" "Ulrich Mansfeld, Christian Pietsch, Richard Hoogenboom, C Remzi Becer, Ulrich S Schubert" "Preparation of multifunctional and well-defined macromolecules requires a smart selection of the most suitable controlled polymerization technique in combination with appropriate click reactions. In this review, we provide an overview on the use of various U+2018U+2018clickableU+2019U+2019 initiators and monomers as well as on the postpolymerization modifications that have been widely used to construct clickable macromolecules. As such, this contribution will aid polymer chemists to select a suitable combination of CRP and click methodologies to design the target structures." "Solidification of emulsified polymer solutions via phase inversion (SEPPI): A generic way to prepare polymers with controlled porosity" "Pieter Vandezande, Jan Vermant, Johan Martens, Pierre Jacobs, Ivo Vankelecom" "Porous polymeric structures with controlled porosity were prepared using a new approach involving solidification of emulsified polymer solutions via phase inversion (SEPPI). The new method starts from a polymeric emulsion for which the presence of nanosized particles or surfactants is crucial. Subsequent solidification of such emulsion is realized by simple contact with a polymer nonsolvent. The resulting solids exhibit spherical pores for which the emulsion droplets act as template. The preparation method allows easy control over pore morphology by tuning a number of easily accessible parameters, mainly at the level of the emulsion itself. A wide variety of polymers, including biocompatible and biodegradable polymers, can thus be turned into porous materials. Two typical applications in controlled release and solvent resistant nanofiltration are presented, illustrating the real practical utility of the presented method. Compared with the commonly used methods to prepare porous polymers, the presented method has a large potential since it (1) is applicable to a wide range of different polymers, (2) shows simply accessible flexibility in structural properties, such as porosity, pore size, pore interconnectivity, and pore wall functionality, (3) involves no chemical reaction in the polymer hardening process, and (4) allows creation of porous materials with an asymmetric structure." "Development of Photoinitiated Polymer Conjugation Reactions based on [2+2] Cycloadditions of Functionalized Polymers" "Matthias Horst CONRADI" "Modern synthetic photochemistry was developed in the middle of the last century. Mainly academics show interest in the field, particularly in the preparation of organic compounds.170,171 Photochemistry has many advantages like spatial control. Reactions often require no further reagents than the compounds themselves and the solvents. In downstream processes, the product can be purified if necessary by conventional means. Up to now, only few research work was done by polymer chemists testing the utility of photochemistry for polymer modification. The here presented dissertation focused on the research of polymer modification. Photochemistry, mainly [2+2] cycloaddition was tested for its scope to modify polymer end groups, surfaces and particles. The research work consisted of two main tasks: 1. To search for and subsequently optimize an adequate photoreaction with high yields, high reaction rates, and functional group tolerance. 2. To improve this reaction by testing several photo-reactors and comparing different reactor techniques, i.e. batch vs. continuous flow mode." "From polymers to clay polymer nanocomposites" "Robert Schoonheydt" "© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Synthesis of clay mineral polymer nanocomposites (CPN) requires a match between the properties of the clay mineral surface and those of the adsorbed polymer. Once this match is achieved, CPN can be prepared with numerous applications in industry. The structural and physicochemical properties of 2:1 clay minerals used in CPN are briefly described first. The clay minerals provide a physicochemical barrier, a backbone for the polymer, leading to increased thermal and mechanical stabilities. The different mechanisms of direct intercalation, intercalation by cation exchange, and grafting on basal and edge surfaces are reported. The presence of clay mineral layers in the polymer matrix leads to improved polymer properties such as strength and flame retardation, and other mechanical, electrical, and optical properties, and even to new properties." "A stability study of polymer solar cells using conjugated polymers with different donor or acceptor side chain patterns" "Wouter Maes" "Linear assembly of lead bromide-based nanoparticles inside lead(ii) polymers prepared by mixing the precursors of both the nanoparticle and the polymer" "Elke Debroye, Johan Hofkens" "Mixing precursors of lead(ii) polymers with those of lead bromide-based nanoparticles (CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskites or PbBr2), at room temperature and in the presence of cyclohexanemethylammonium bromide, generated colloidal nanocomposites which, when deposited on a hydrophobic surface led to long, one-dimensional, ordered and well-defined architectures." "Amine-thiolactone-ene conjugation : from polymer modification to sequence-controlled polymers" "Steven Martens" "Tuning of polymeric nanoparticles by coassembly of thermoresponsive polymers and a double hydrophilic thermoresponsive block copolymer" "Qilu Zhang, Lenny Voorhaar, Sergey K Filippov, Berin Fatma Yesil, Richard Hoogenboom"