Section of Polymer Chemistry
«From packaging for molecules to research into cloud formation: The properties of our nanoporous materials are as diverse as their applications.»
PD Dr. Dominik Brühwiler Head of Polymer Chemistry
The Section of Polymer Chemistry focuses on the synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of nanostructured polymeric materials.
Research and Development
Synthesis of Nanoporous Materials
We are developing nanoporous materials with tailor-made properties, including well-defined pore and particle sizes, selectively functionalized surfaces, pore structures with bottleneck entrances, as well as multimodal pore systems. Our nanoporous materials provide a versatile platform for applications in the fields of catalysis, adsorption, separation, sensing, drug delivery, colorants, and luminophores.
Host-Guest Systems
The intercalation of chromophores and fluorophores into nanoporous silicates leads to materials with unique properties. True Color Pigments (textiles and coatings), ZeoFRET (light-harvesting), and novoSUN (UV protection) are currently being developed in our lab.
Analytical Tools for Nanoporous Materials
Gas sorption and confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with accessibility probes are our main analytical tools for characterizing complex pore structures and functional group distributions. We are particularly interested in materials consisting of various interconnected and well-defined 1D and 3D pore systems.
- Nanoscale Adv. 3 (2021) 6459
- Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 257 (2018) 232
- Dalton Trans. 44 (2015) 17960
- Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 48 (2009) 6354
Publications
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David, Robert O.; Fahrni, Jonas; Marcolli, Claudia; Mahrt, Fabian; Brühwiler, Dominik; Lohmann, Ulrike; Kanji, Zamin A.,
2018.
The role of pores on ice nucleation.
In:
Abstract Volume : 16th Swiss Geoscience Meeting.
16th Swiss Geoscience Meeting, Bern, 30 November - 1 December 2018.
Swiss Academy of Science.
Available from: https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2018/wp-content/uploads/SGM_2018_Symposium_17.pdf
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Zucchetto, Nicola; Reber, Michael; Pestalozzi, Lias; Schmid, Ramon; Neels, Antonia; Brühwiler, Dominik,
2018.
The structure of mesoporous silica obtained by pseudomorphic transformation of SBA-15 and SBA-16.
Microporous and Mesoporous Materials.
257, pp. 232-240.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2017.08.046
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David, Robert O.; Mahrt, Fabian; Marcolli, Claudia; Fahrni, Jonas; Brühwiler, Dominik; Lohmann, Ulrike; Kanji, Zamin A.,
2017.
Deposition nucleation or pore condensation and freezing?.
In:
Geophysical Research Abstracts.
EGU General Assembly 2017, Vienna, 23-28 April 2017.
pp. 16923.
Available from: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2017/EGU2017-16923-4.pdf
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Brühwiler, Dominik; Ecker, Achim,
2017.
True Color Pigments : die Suche nach dem perfekten Farbmittel.
Transfer.
2017(1), pp. 8.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-5024
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Zucchetto, Nicola; Brühwiler, Dominik,
2016.
Functionalization of arrays of silica nanochannels by post-condensation.
Dalton Transactions.
45(36), pp. 14363-14369.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1039/C6DT02033J