BonLab features on the cover of Materials Horizons

Our manuscript entitled Control of vesicle membrane permeability with catalytic particles has been selected for the jan-feb 2016 cover of Materials Horizons, a premier scientific journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry which features first reports of exceptional significance across the breadth of materials research at the cutting-edge interface with chemistry, physics, biology and engineering.

Prof.dr.ir. Stefan Bon says: "We are absolutely delighted that our research has made the cover of Materials Horizons. Rong Chen and especially Ross Jaggers worked very hard in the BonLab to fabricate giant polymer vesicles which have membrane-embedded catalytically active manganese oxide particles, hereby using droplet-based microfluidics. We demonstrate that these colloidal particles can regulate the membrane permeability of the polymersomes upon their exposure to, and catalytic reaction with, small amounts of dissolved hydrogen peroxide. Not only can we trigger complete release whereby the vesicle gets destroyed through membrane rupture by the formed oxygen bubbles as illustrated on the cover, exposure to small amounts of dissolved hydrogen peroxide leads to temporary enhanced release until all hydrogen peroxide is consumed by the catalytic particles after which the membrane permeability restores itself to its passive characteristic value." 

More on this can be read on our blog.

The paper (open access) can be read here:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5MH00093A

Join BonLab as a Post Doc

Fixed Term Contract for 12 months

Applications are invited for a Research Fellow to work in the BonLab under the supervision of Prof.dr.ir. Stefan A. F. Bon. The research project will develop innovative polymer dispersions containing liquid crystalline material for display technologies in close collaboration with an industrial partner. 

You must have completed (or be soon to complete) a PhD or equivalent in synthetic polymer and/or colloid science. A proven ability in innovative and effective experimental research is essential and you should be skilled in the use of techniques for synthesis and characterization of macromolecules, hybrid materials, and/or colloidal particles. An interest and aptitude for unravelling synthetic, physical and mechanistic aspects of liquid crystalline colloidal dispersions of sub-micron dimensions in both aqueous and non-aqueous media is essential. 

You will be able to work independently and as part of a research team, aiding in the supervision of junior research workers. You will have a proven track record of publications, excellent communication and scientific writing skills. 

Where you have not yet been awarded your PhD, any offer made to you will be an under-appointment to the post of Research Assistant at a salary of £28,143. Once your PhD has been awarded, you will be appointed to the substantive post of Research Fellow at a salary within the range shown above. 

APPLY HERE

Fibers made by assembly of emulsion droplets

Fibers made by assembly of emulsion droplets

Fibers are interesting. They are made by a spinning process in which a liquid based mixture, referred to as spinning dope, is extruded through an orifice hereby generating a jet, which subsequently is solidified through either coagulation/precipitation and/or gelation. Two extreme fibers found in Nature are spidersilk, a super strong and extensible liquid-crystalline fiber, and the soft hydrogel double-strings of toad eggs, as spawn by the common toad (Bufo bufo). The production of manmade fibers using dry and wet spinning techniques – both starting from a liquid mixture – goes back to the 19th century. An early example is the development of Rayon fibers initiated by the discovery of Schweizer in 1857, who found that cellulose could be dissolved in and re-precipitated from an aqueous solution of ammonia and copper (II) hydroxide (coined Schweizer’s reagent (dry or wet)). Examples of wet-spun high performance fibers include ultrahigh molecular weight poly(ethylene) fibers, and polyaramid fibers.

An emerging trend is to make soft, hydrogel-based, fibers wet spun into water. Applications for example are in the area of tissue engineering. Microfluidic technologies are often employed to manufacture these fibers.

We asked ourselves whether it would be possible to fabricate fibers through assembly of thousands of emulsion droplets? We call these HIPE (High Internal Phase Emulsion) fibers.