Expertise
The FIBRONIQ consortium
DIEDERIEK DEPLA
The research group "Surface Physics and Thin Films" studies magnetron
sputter deposition in general. The group started in the 1980's, with
the deposition of Zn/Cu alloys on steel cord wire. From this period
stems the tradition to develop its own magnetron sources (see Group
Facilities). Beside the research to industrial interesting materials
such as superconductors or (photo)catalytic systems, the group focusses
on the fundamental aspects of reactive sputter deposition. The main
activities of this research are described in Group Research Topics.
Detailled information on current and finished projects within our
research group can be found in Projects.
Our long tradition in magnetron sputtering and high-level, fundamental
research resulted in an international status on reactive sputtering,
which resulted in many publications (Group Publications), the organisation
of the bi-annual, international symposium "Reactive Sputter Deposition",
D. Depla as secretary of the thin film division of the IUVSTA (www.iuvsta.org)
and the vice-presidency of D. Depla of the Belgian Vacuum Society
(www.belvac.be).
Realizing the benefits of close collaboration with the industry and
knowing the high demand for test-depositions and small-scale research
projects, our research group offers the perfect solution: DRAFT, which
is your partner for Design, Research and Feasibility of Thin Films
(DRAFT).
» http://www.draft.ugent.be
FILIP DUPREZ
The key objectives of the "Polymer Chemistry Research Group" (PCR)
within the Department of Organic Chemistry in the Faculty of Sciences
of Ghent University can be described under the general heading "design,
characterization and application of tailor-made, functional polymer
structures and polymeric-derived materials". Three types of research
projects can be distinguished:
> Development of new polymer structures and synthetic
strategies
> Exploration of novel polymer functionalization
methods
> Design of polymer materials for specific applications
With our highly interdisciplinary approach, we are targeting novel
polymer materials, for use in such areas as nanoscience and certain
industrial applications by a combination of fine control over the
polymer chemistry and an in-depth characterization of the materials
generated, in conjunction with numerous academic and corporate partners.
A Technology Developer, operating in the fields of our research, is
strongly involved in the development of early-stage technologies and
the set-up of long-standing interactions with corporate partners.
By its research activities and equipment facilities, the PCR-group
has the intention to provide students and researchers with a broad
scope of the design and understanding of the properties of polymeric
materials.
» http://www.pcr.ugent.be
LIEVA VAN LANGENHOVE
FIBROUS STRUCTURES headed by prof. dr. ir. Lieva VAN LANGENHOVE >Smart
textiles (ir. Carla HERTLEER)
- Textile sensors
- Dressing material
- Impedance spectroscopy
- Textile antennas
- Electrotherapy
- Medical applications
>Weaving (dr. Simona VASILE)
- Self-learning machine speed for airjet
looms
- Research and design of stretch fancy
yarns
- Simulation of weft insertion on airjet
and rapier looms
>Carpets (ing. Didier VAN DAELE)
- Automated assessment of carpet wear,
carpet resilience, static electricity
» http://textiles.ugent.be
KAREN DECLERCK
FIBRE AND COLORATION TECHNOLOGY headed by prof. dr. ir. Karen DE
CLERCK >Fibre Technology
- Fibre morphology and characterisation
- Electrospinning and nanofibres
>Coloration Technology
- Colour-changing materials
- Dye diffusion processes
- Dye-Polymer interactions
» http://textiles.ugent.be
RONALD VERBEECK
De onderzoekseenheid is hoofdzakelijk werkzaam in twee gebieden,
namelijk biomineralen en tandheelkundige materialen. Wat de biomineralen
betreft, worden zowel synthetische (in het bijzonder apatieten) als
biologische (tandglazuur, dentine, bot) calciumfosfaten bestudeerd.
Hierbij ligt de nadruk op het verband tussen de samenstelling en de
kristalchemische, fysische en fysico chemische (oplosbaarheid, oplossnelheid
en kristalgroei) eigenschappen van het zout of het biomineraal. De
onderzoekseenheid heeft een uitgebreide ervaring opgedaan in de synthese
van calciumfosfaten evenals in de analyse van het mineraal en de de
en remineralisatie van verkalkte weefsels en dit met betrekking tot
de cariësgevoeligheid en cariëspreventie. Wat de tandheelkundige materialen
betreft, is het onderzoek momenteel hoofdzakelijk gericht op bioactieve,
kneedbare materialen die voor een rechtstreeks herstel of vervanging
van tandweefsels of bot in aanmerking komen. In dit verband worden,
naast de ontwikkeling van calciumfosfaat botcementen, composieten
en glasionomeer systemen onderzocht. Gelet op de therapeutische werking,
worden bij deze laatste in de eerste plaats de mechanisme(n) van fluoride
afgifte bestudeerd. Meer bepaald worden de fluoride afgifteprofielen
van deze materialen bepaald in functie van hun samenstelling en dit
in combinatie met hun mechanische eigenschappen. Het klinische gedrag
van deze specifieke tandheelkundige materialen wordt gelijklopend
geëvalueerd en gecorreleerd aan de in vitro onderzochte eigenschappen.
» http://www.tandheelkunde.ugent.be
STEFAAN DESMEDT
The Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy hosts
the Ghent Research Centre on Nanomedicines (GRCN). Nanomedicines aims
at applying nanotechnology in drug therapy and medical diagnostics.
Advanced drug delivery and medical diagnostics constitute the core
disciplines of GRCN. Advanced drug delivery systems are nano-/micrometre
sized delivery systems for biological therapeutic agents (like nucleic
acids and proteins) which are much larger than classical drugs like
for example aspirin. The GRCN is a multidisciplinary research environment,
including pharmacists, material engineers, cellular biologists and
biophysics who build scientific and technical expertise between "nano"
and pharmacy. Most of the research projects of the GRCN are carried
out in collaboration with European laboratories. The GRCN is a member
of BRAINSTIM, a Belgian research consortium on stem cell research.
The GRCN takes on the EU funded projects MEDITRANS (on targeted drug
delivery), ARISE (on drug delivery to the brain after stroke) and
SONODRUGS (which evaluates the potential of ultrasound energy to deliver
drugs to cancer tissues).
Encoded microcarriers for diagnostics and drug screening
» Drug discovery, drug screening and diagnostics commonly involve
performing assays on very large numbers of molecules. The thousands
of individual reactions that are required in these assays are preferably
carried out all at the same time ('multiplexing') in the same sample.
Perhaps one of the most significant challenges in multiplex assays
is the necessity to track each reaction. One way to achive this is
to carry out the reactions on 'encoded' microcarriers, each carrier
having a particular compound bound to its surface. The code on the
microcarrier allows for identification of the compounds bound to its
surface.
» The Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy
is developing a new way of encoding microcarriers. Our concept is
that in fluorescently dyed microcarriers a pattern is written by "spatial
selective photobleaching" of the fluorescent dye. Photobleaching is
a photo-induced process through which the fluorescent molecules lose
their fluorescent properties resulting in a fading of the fluorescent
colour. Any geometry can be bleached, e.g. a symbol or barcode, at
a certain depth in the microcarrier by using a confocal laser scanning
microscope which is modified to this purpose. This technique provides
a virtually unlimited amount of unique codes that can be written inside
microcarriers that are common to screening applications and are commercially
available at a low cost.
» http://www.ugent.be/fw/en/research/pharmaceutics/biofys
STIJN VAN HULLE
The research group of Prof. Stijn Van Hulle has built up expertise
in water filtration and purification. An example is the study of the
performance of water filters based on nanofibrous structures for cleaning
of shower water during a folk festival in Dranouter, Belgium. The
strategy of the group is to study nanofibrous structures towards its
properties for different kinds of water filtration, coupled with a
range of applications in biological water purification and pre-treatment
of surface water. Alszo second generation filters and applications
will be studied based on functionalisaed nanofibrous structures.
STAN MONSTREY
One of the research activities of this Group is focussed on wound
burns and located in the UZGent wound burn centre. Although that enormous
efforts are done worldwide to develop new pastes, anti-biotics, wound
healing groups, …, the research towards the dressing itself is limited.
This group sees an opportunity in the use of nanofibrous structures
as dressing due to the typical properties of those structures. Second
generation studies are planned in which active components such as
wound healing chemicals and co-factors are incorporated in the nanofibrous
dressing and released according to a controllable and predetermined
profile.
»
study of fiber morphology
»
steady state electrospinning
»
study of scaling up of polymer system electrospinning 