DiStruc — Directed Colloidal Structure at the Meso-Scale

Results in brief

Directed Colloidal Structure at the Meso-Scale

DiStruc (Directed Structure at the meso-scale) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network studying fluid dispersions containing rod-like colloidal particles. These form a plethora of ordered, liquid-crystalline states as well as glassy and gel-like disordered states already at very low concentrations. Despite their remarkable properties, industrial applications have entered the market only relatively recently. To accelerate their exploitation applications, DiStruc pushes the field in a new, innovative direction where rod-like colloidal particles of a very diverse nature are used to form structures with a well-defined direction: Directed Structure (DiStruc) at the mesoscopic level. The objective of DiStruc is three-fold: 1. The scientific goal is to understand and direct structure formation in dispersions of elongated colloidal particles by internal (particle characteristics, interactions and concentration) and external means (confinement and flow). 2. The practical goal is to actively further the exploitation of this knowledge in the EU for rational product development in industrial sectors involved in the production of novel superior textures for fast moving consumer goods (foods, home and personal care), and high-performance fibres. 3. The educational goal is to train the next generation of European researchers at the highest (PhD) level with a multidisciplinary academic and industrial skill set from physics to biology, experiments to theory/simulations, and product development to marketing.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Fluid dispersions containing highly elongated colloidal particles form a plethora of ordered, liquid-crystalline states as well as glassy and gel-like disordered states already at very low concentrations. In spite of their remarkable properties, industrial applications of such dispersions have entered the market only relatively recently, in contrast to more conventional low-molecular-weight, liquid-crystalline fluids for which the major practical applications are in opto-electronic device technology, e.g., in displays, optical imaging and smart glass. Important potential applications of colloidal liquid crystals can be found in the manufacturing of high-performance fibres and in fast moving consumer goods, such as foods and home and personal care. To accelerate their exploitation and market introduction, we seek to push the field in a new, innovative direction where rod-like colloidal particles of a very diverse nature are used to form structures with a well-defined direction: Directed Structure (DiStruc) at the mesoscopic level. Our focus will be on the role of confinement and flow, highly relevant to industrial applications. This will open avenues for a bottom-up, rational design of industrial processes, which is an important step to protect the competitive role of European industries on the global market. At the same time, scientifically novel physical phenomena will be explored protecting the leading role of Europe in the field of soft condensed matter. Importantly, it provides a training ground for the next generation of European researchers, unique in its interdisciplinary scope, covering physics, chemistry, biology, materials and engineering, its depth, creating a mind-set where experiments, theory and computer simulations go hand-in-hand, and its focus on the chain of knowledge from basic to applied research through close industrial involvement.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Brandeis University · Waltham, MAUnited States
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
CENTRE TECHNOLOGIQUE NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE COMPOSITES & MATERIAUX AVANCES · PessacFrance
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBH · JULICHGermany
IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS · IRAKLEIOGreece
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LeuvenBelgium
SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE SA · VEVEYSwitzerland
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN · EindhovenNetherlands
TEIJIN ARAMID BV · ArnhemNetherlands
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER · ManchesterUnited Kingdom
UNILEVER INNOVATION CENTRE WAGENINGEN BV · WageningenNetherlands

DiStruc · Directed Colloidal Structure at the Meso-Scale

Results in brief

Directed Colloidal Structure at the Meso-Scale

Project objective

Participants

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