Double Dynamics for design of new responsive polymer networks and gels
DoDyNet is an ITN Marie Sklodowska-Curie project that is base on a strong network as it includes 9 universities and 3 industries.
Coordinator : Evelyne van Ruymbeke (UCL / BSMA)
Manager: Christine Hambursin (UCL / BSMA)
UCL coordinators : Evelyne van Ruymbeke, Charles-André Fustin (BSMA)
Polymeric gels and networks are ubiquitous in daily life (foodstuff, cosmetics) and high-added value applications (tissue engineering, adhesives, coating, drug release, batteries, additive manufacturing). They can be either permanent (covalently cross-linked) and resist flow, or physical (reversible) and easy to process while creeping at long times. The grand challenge is to efficiently combine and control within the same material all distinct features of these two classes of networks, such as large mechanical strength, deformability, swelling and self-healing, in order to create multiply responsive materials for new applications.
The objective of DoDyNet is to develop a research roadmap that enhances our understanding of the synergistic effects arising by combining distinct dynamic modes within the polymeric network. These ‘Double Dynamics Networks’ (DDNs) are characterized by a multi-scale viscoelastic response that can be tuned via molar mass, fraction of component and dynamics of (transient or exchangeable) bonds. This will enable us to selectively tailor their macroscopic properties at molecular level.