The research of the Mesoscale Chemical Systems (MCS) chair, headed by Han Gardeniers, originates from the group's unique expertise in micro and nanofabrication, backed by the outstanding experimental facilities of MESA+ NanoLab.
Focal points in the research are:
- The development of 3D electronic, photonic, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic structures with sub-micron features
- Microfluidic systems for life science applications (e.g. needle-less drug delivery), chemical and forensic analysis, and chemical process intensification
- The behaviour and application of bubbles (e.g. generated by ultrasound, laser illumination, or electrolysis) and droplets (e.g. in microchannels or in free space)
group activities
The research of the MCS team can be summarized by these three activities:
- Structure materials in 3D down to the nanometer scale
- Manage fluids at the mesoscale*
- Engineer microsystems with integrated functionality
*In physics and chemistry the mesoscopic scale is the length scale at which one can reasonably discuss material properties or phenomena without having to discuss individual atom behavior.
Collaborations
The group is a very active user of the NanoLab cleanroom facilities and collaborates with many of the groups participating in the nanotechnology research institute MESA+.
The MCS group is part of the Department of Chemical Engineering, which besides MCS consists of the groups Catalytic Processes & Materials (CPM) Photo-Catalytic Synthesis (PCS), Sustainable Process Technology (SPT), Inorganic Membranes (IM) and Physics of Complex Fluids (PCF). The group participates in several Centers of Expertise at the University of Twente, such as the Molecules Centre, QUANT, and the Twente Centre for Advance Battery Technology.
MCS participates in two European projects, ALCYONE and CHIRALFORCE.