The development of advanced porous or dense polymeric materials with controlled morphology requires understanding the thermodynamics of solutions, the interactions between polymer segments and solvents, supramolecular assembly, kinetics of phase separation in the bulk and surface.
Experimentally these concepts are being investigated at the NPM-Lab by rheology, advanced microscopy methods at KAUST core lab, including field emission electron microscopy (dry and cryo), transmission electron microscopy, focused ion beam and atomic force microscopy, and by small angle X-ray scattering (static and time-resolved in synchrotron facilities).
The group has an intense collaboration to integrate the experimental observations with modeling and simulation (e. g. by dissipative particle dynamics) and give a comprehensive understanding of the process of self-assembly in solution and pore formation by phase separation.