Polymer Hybrid nanomaterials

Current Research Topics available for students at UCT

• Synthesis and characterization of functional pseudo-star polymers with hydrophobic polyethylene pockets (DETAILS: 2026-112-9)
• Double-hydrophilic thermoresponsive block copolymers via RAFT polymerization. (DETAILS: 2026-112-10) 

What we do

The interaction of nanoparticles with the environment is determined by their surface properties, and, therefore, chemical surface adaption is of utmost importance. Functionalization with synthetic polymer ligands in particular opens up vast possibilities to control the properties of inorganic nanoparticles and/or to endow them with additional functionalities. Within this context, we contribute to exploring the potential of polymer/inorganic nanohybrids for catalytic and sensing applications. Our research is driven by tailored macromolecular synthesis as well as in-depth nanomaterial characterization, which together lead to a better understanding of underlying structure-effect relationships. This provides the basis for the rational design of novel nanosensors and nanocatalysts.