BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:IMX Talks - Microparticle-Reinforced Polymers DTSTART:20260825T123000 DTEND:20260825T133000 DTSTAMP:20261021T020551Z UID:163830a79528a74638218e853c104acc2ec47d869488466e5f3b16f5 CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Prof. Esther Amstad\, Soft Materials Laboratory\, EPFL\nNature produces materials with a fascinating combination of stiffness\, strength and functionality through energy-efficient\, environmentally friendly pro cesses. These remarkable properties arise from the interplay between hiera rchical structural organization and spatial variations in composition. Ach ieving comparable structural and compositional control in synthetic soft m aterials remains challenging\, largely because conventional manufacturing methods differ substantially from those used in biological systems. Natura l load-bearing polymer-based materials are often formed through compartmen talization and extrusion-based processing. Elements of these strategies ca n be reproduced synthetically by formulating soft polymers as capsules or deformable microparticles. However\, the resulting granular materials are generally mechanically weak.\nIn this presentation\, I will show how hydro gels and elastomers can be 3D printed by direct ink writing at room temper ature and subsequently transformed from viscoelastic granular assemblies i nto elastic\, load-bearing double-network granular polymers. This is achie ved by formulating hydrogels or elastomers as reagent-loaded microparticle s that are jammed to obtain the rheological properties required for extrus ion-based processing. We transform these soft granular structures into ela stic load-bearing materials by polymerizing reagents contained within the microparticles to create a stretchable polymer network that interpenetrate s the microparticles and covalently crosslinks them. I will demonstrate ho w stiffness and toughness of these granular materials can be tuned indepen dently and how interparticle interfaces can be leveraged to introduce func tionalities\, including electrical conductivity. These 3D-printable functi onal materials have the potential to be used as multi-responsive sensors a nd soft actuators capable of undergoing programmed deformations.\n\nBio:  Esther Amstad studied materials science at ETH Zurich\, where she subseque ntly completed her doctoral research on the steric stabilization of iron o xide nanoparticles. She then undertook postdoctoral research at Harvard Un iversity\, focusing on the development of microfluidic devices for applica tions such as the high-throughput production of monodisperse emulsion drop s. In 2014\, she joined the Institute of Materials at the École Polytechn ique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\, Switzerland\, as a tenure-track assis tant professor. She was promoted to associate professor in 2021. She curre ntly leads the Soft Materials Laboratory (SMAL)\, where her research focus es on the development of drop- and microparticle-based processing strategi es for the fabrication of functional\, load-bearing granular polymers\, wi th potential applications in fields including soft robotics. LOCATION:BM 5202 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BM%205202 https://epfl.zoom.u s/j/68743039955 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR