Interface Optimisation in Hybrid Materials
My name is Jamal S. M. Zanjani and I am an assistant professor at the Surface Engineering and Maintenance group within the faculty of Engineering Technology at the University of Twente. My Sectorplan position focuses on creating correlations between processing, microstructure, properties and product performance in multilateral hybrid structures.
Background
I obtained both my Bachelor and Master in Polymer/Plastics Engineering and I have a PhD in Material science and Engineering with a research emphasis on the processing and mechanics of complex materials and composites.
Within my research position on Interface Optimisation in Hybrid Materials in the area of Next Generation Structural Materials, I work closely together with my team. We pay particular attention to the interphases and interfaces between the constituents, as it is key to attaining a reliable hybrid structure. My team develops experimental techniques as well as modelling tools to analyse and describe the physical mechanisms at the interface and exploit them for optimising the short and long-term structural performances of hybrid structures.
In the years to come
A major challenge in materials science and engineering is getting the right properties in the right place. I foresee many opportunities on the horizon for hybrid materials where similar or dissimilar entities (e.g., polymer-polymer, polymer-metal, and polymer-ceramic) are combined to provide extremely lightweight, yet reliable, predictable and robust load-carrying next generation structural materials.
Education
My teaching activities cover different modules in Mechanical Engineering at undergraduate and graduate levels. I am also offering a graduate-level course on Adhesion and Bonding Technologies. Furthermore, I supervise several thesis projects on different aspects of hybrid materials and composites and processing techniques like surface treatment, co-bonding, and additive manufacturing.
Collaborations
During our research, we closely collaborate with world-leading industrial partners in areas such as wind energy, automotive, additive manufacturing and maintenance technologies.