Smartmem team has achieved great results over the past 4 years, thanks to the research of these 5 PhD students:
1. 5 PhDs students got their industrial PhD in an emerging technology field with application in several industries: Food & Feed, Home care products, Beauty Care, water treatment, analytical separations…
2. The team has developed diverse screening techniques for polymers that enabled fast choices to focus on lead materials. These techniques will be used beyond Smartmem, since the multidisciplinary approach allows to reapply the learnings to other projects and fields. Having good screening methods is essential to move fast in research. On the one hand, they first identified the critical parameters required for their application. In a second step, they developed a methodology to measure that parameter in a reliable way and validated their approach.
3. The team has screened commercially available materials, with especial focus on sustainability, identifying new applications for them. So, the students had the possibility to participate in industrial events and interact with diverse suppliers, especially SMEs, to get samples for their research. When a material was successful, additional steps were taking to build the relationship.
4. Synthesis of novel materials enabled new uses that addressed consumer needs: these novel materials were designed to be light responsive. Light responsive materials were known, however the team designed them to be responsive to natural and artificial light and not only to UV light. In this sense, they were making the materials more suitable for daily applications.
5. New materials or known materials for new uses required the development of novel processes, so the team explored the available knowledge and further developed it to adequate it to the new materials and applications. Process parameters optimization for new chemistries has been key to achieve prototypes.
6. Prototypes for Home Care applications were prepared and tested with a consumer panel. Results were compared and validated with analytical measurements.
Smartmem ESRs were trained in industrial and academic environments, providing them with a better overview of both fields and enabling them to make their career choice. They gained not only technical knowledge, but they also grew as professionals, especially in soft skills and communication. They had the opportunity to attend many internal and external events, disseminating SMARTMEM results through posters and oral presentations.
Additionally, several papers have been submitted for peer review for their publication in diverse journals, being two being published (Perfume Encapsulation via Vapor Induced Phase Separation, Processes 2019, 7(12), 865, related to a novel way of preparing capsules, especially useful for temperature sensitive actives and Contrasting Photo-Switching Rates in Azobenzene Derivatives: How the Nature of the Substituent Plays a Role, Polymers 2020,12(5), 1019, related to a novel molecular design approach to create asymmetrical visible light-triggered azo-derivatives that can be good candidates for polymer functionalization..
