The core facility Materials Characterization is a unique, complementary infrastructure platform for a broad analysis of diverse materials. In order to deliver optimal data acquisition and interpretation to our partners, the core facility is supported by the experts of diverse founding research groups at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Electrochemical and Surface Engineering
Our team of professors, postdoctoral researchers, Ph.D. students, engineers, economists, supported by a professional technical and administrative staff wants to contribute to the societal and technological challenges of the 21st century. With a strong emphasis on durability and sustainability our focus is on the development of the next generation of high performing and multifunctional metal surfaces, their production and their applications. Why? Because some of the key mineral resources in our economy will be exhausted in the next few years if exploited at the present rates, bringing recycling and additive manufacturing in the picture. Because corrosion of metals is yearly costing approximately 1 to 5 percent of a nation’s GNP, based on direct costs only. Because renewable energy sources call for revolutionary energy storage systems. How? By our teaching, educating the engineers of tomorrow. By our research, learning how to modify, analyze and model bulk metal surfaces (on the nanometer scale), nanoparticles and -wires in interaction with their environment. By our services to third parties, sharing our knowledge with industrial partners and societal organizations.
Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science
The Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science (FYSC) research group is part of the Materials and Chemistry (MACH) department of the Faculty of Engineering of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and conducts both fundamental and applied research in the field of materials sciences. FYSC’s polymer research activities are focused on gaining insight in the molecular and supramolecular structure-processing-property relations in synthetic, bio-based, and natural polymers for developing sustainable materials with improved performance. A comprehensive collection of physicochemical analytical techniques and characterization procedures is available for this purpose, centred around advanced thermal analysis instrumentation. FYSC is at the forefront of the development of new thermal analysis methods to study polymer-based materials, often using prototype or in-house developed instrumentation. Through its characterization expertise, FYSC is involved in the design of novel macromolecular materials, either combined with in-house polymer synthesis or in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, for applications in advanced polymeric systems, coatings, composites, pharmaceuticals, automotive, offshore… The FYSC group uniquely excels in studying and understanding the relation between the structure formation and the resulting properties of the studied materials, and the effect of processing of these materials on the formed structure and properties.
Analytical, Environmental and Geo- Chemistry
AMGC scientific approach focuses on the holistic use of biogeochemical tracers, such as elemental concentrations (Cd, Pb, PGE etc.) and isotopic ratios (D/H, 18O/16O, 13C/12C, 15N/14N, 87Sr/88Sr...), - often referred to as "proxies" - that are measured on a substrate (e.g. mineral phase, fossil, mussel-shell, teeth, seawater, plankton, ice cores etc.) to infer specific environmental parameters (such as condition of formation, temperature, acidity, salinity, CO2 level, composition, bio-productivity etc.). Variations in these "proxies" characterize the factors triggering or resulting from (paleo)environmental changes and document at different scales, the short and/or long-term effects of these modifications on the Global Earth System. Although not commonly carried out, the analyses in close conjunction of modern and ancient global changes, including anthropogenic pollution are highly complementary and mutually beneficial. Ongoing changes are monitored and documented at very high resolution, while the geological record traces the evolution of these changes through time, providing an extra dimension, missing from the modern data. Environmental changes due to recent anthropogenic activities can have many adverse effects on human health, which require monitoring. The themes constitute cutting-edge international research challenges. To address them, innovative analytical procedures are continuously being developed using the facilities available at the VUB and its partner universities. This analytical toolbox is then applied to various earth, environmental and pollution problems, often coupled with modeling.
