Microgels at fluid interfaces (B08)

• Subject Area: Experimental and Theoretical Physics of Polymers
• Term: from 2016 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191948804

Spontaneous adsorption of microgels at oil-water interfaces leads to remarkable effects, such as the deformation upon adsorption, concentration gradients within the microgels, etc. In this project we will investigate what distinguishes microgels from particles and macromolecules, respectively. We study the influence of microgel architecture and chemical composition on their behavior at fluid interfaces. We will synthesize hydrophilic highly branched polymers and microgels with anisotropic shape and investigate highly compressed monolayers of these polymers and microgels. We combine synthesis, physico-chemical experiments and computer simulations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 985: Functional Microgels and Microgel Systems
• Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Martin Möller, until 6/2020; Professor Dr. Igor Potemkin; Professor Dr. Walter Richtering; Cesar Rodriguez-Emmenegger, Ph.D., until 8/2022