BonLab Blog
Thoughts & Scientific Fiction
We are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to join the BonLab as a PhD student. Start dates are mid to end 2025. Do you have what it takes to work at the forefront in sustainable polymer and colloid chemical engineering?
You will be working under the guidance of prof.dr.ir. Stefan A. F. Bon on an exciting 4-year project in collaboration with industry in the area of polymer and colloid science. We have a number of fully funded opportunities available in my team.
Researchers at The University of Warwick have made significant progress in the search for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. In response to growing environmental concerns, the move towards a circular economy and changing consumer preferences, the research team has identified that certain mixtures of small organic molecules form interesting glasses and viscous liquids. These so-called organic eutectics are promising candidates for replacing polymers in various products.
Phase change materials, also known as PCMs, can capture, store, and release energy when they undergo a phase transition. One class of PCMs with relatively high latent energy storage capabilities are alkane-based waxes. These store energy upon melting and will release it again when they solidify through crystallization. To make use of this so-called latent heat is helpful for many applications, and indeed can be found, for example, in building insulation and temperature regulation materials. If, however, we would like to use this concept in a temperature-regulating fluid, we need to disperse the PCMs into a liquid, such as water, that in itself has a high heat capacity and thus the ability to store energy.
