Publications
Continuous generation of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles employing an ultrasonic microreactor KU Leuven
In this article, a new system employing an ultrasonic microreactor coupled with a tubular reactor is presented for the continuous generation of polymer nanoparticles. The continuous generation of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles utilizing the monomer butyl methacrylate and the cross-linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate is demonstrated. Firstly, the miniemulsion polymerization of a monomer-in-water miniemulsion is studied in a batch system. ...
The interplay between nucleation and patterning during shear-induced crystallization from solution in a parallel plate geometry KU Leuven
Cooling crystallization of small organic molecules from solution is an important operation for the separation and purification of drug products. In this research, shear-induced nucleation from a supersaturated solution is studied in a parallel plate geometry. Under conditions of shear and small gap sizes, narrow mesoscale circular bands of small crystals appeared spontaneously and reproducibly on the plate's surface. We have investigated the ...
Catalytic tandem dehydrochlorination-hydrogenation of PVC towards valorisation of chlorinated plastic waste KU Leuven
Chemical treatment of end-of-life PVC at high temperature often results in the formation of polyacetylene and eventually aromatic char. These insoluble conjugated polymers lead to industrial reactor blockages, and limit the efficiency in recycling chlorinated plastic waste. To address this challenge, a solvent-based tandem dehydrochlorination-hydrogenation process is proposed for the conversion of PVC to a saturated polymer backbone. When ...
Low-field 1H NMR study on geopolymers: The effect of paramagnetic Fe(III) KU Leuven
Geopolymers are inorganic polymers with 3D framework structures having superior mechanical and physical properties. Metakaolin-based geopolymers synthesized using solutions of Fe(III) chloride have been studied ex-situ and in-situ using low-field 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR). The results revealed that the introduced Fe(III) could affect the spin relaxation and the pore structure. The effect on spin relaxation was determined by ...
Constraint Release Rouse Mechanisms in Bidisperse Linear Polymers: Investigation of the Release Time of a Short-Long Entanglement KU Leuven
Despite a wide set of experimental data and a large number of studies, the quantitative description of the relaxation mechanisms involved in the disorientation process of bidisperse blends is still under discussion. In particular, while it has been shown that the relaxation of self-unentangled long chains diluted in a short chain matrix is well approximated by a constraint release Rouse (CRR) mechanism, there is no consensus on the value of the ...