Research projects

Bachelor or master projects

Students with a background in chemistry or physics are encouraged to explore the possibilities of doing a Bachelor or Master research project at the Van 't Hoff Laboratory.

Below you can find a description of all the projects our PhD students & Postdocs are working on. If you are interested in a topic, do not hesitate to contact the student coordinator, Sam Bastiaan.

Specific projects can be found at the links below:

  • To the next level of transcription: influence of the accessible genome size

    Transcription is the process by which a gene segment on DNA is copied into messenger RNA. Several proteins are involved in transcription: RNA polymerase, which reads the DNA and converts that into RNA, and transcription factors, which either activate or repress the binding of RNA polymerase to DNA. A lot of progress has been made on the direct influence of transcription factors by binding to promoter regions on the genes of interest. However, these proteins also bind to other sequences of DNA and thus, the total amount of DNA available for these proteins to bind to, competes with the binding to promoter regions

    Amanda van der Sijs
    FCC PhD

  • Mass transfer phenomena in nanostructured bijel films

    The spinodal decomposition of two immiscible liquids is characterised by the emergence of an intricate
    structure of continuously interwoven channels of distinct phases. This structure can be kinetically trapped
    through the adsorption of nanoparticles on the interface between the different phases, effectively creating
    what is known as a bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gel (bijel). The interwoven structure of the
    bijel imparts it with a large internal surface area between the different phases, on which a semi-permeable
    membrane can be formed. Combined with pore-sizes ranging from 100 nm to 5 μm, bijels are thus a very
    promising template for high-surface area membranes suitable for nanofiltration or reverse osmosis.

    Jesse Steenhoff
    FCC PhD

  • Anisotropic Bijels for Radiative Cooling

    In this project we attempt to find experimental confirmation of the influence anisotropy has on the reflectance, with the aim of producing a passively cooling surface. To do so we will make anistropic bijel structures which have correlations on the length scale of visible light wavelengths.

    Geert Schulpen
    FCC PhD

  • Colloidal optics for advanced nanomaterials

    Light-utilizing technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role to tackle large challenges our society faces, with applications in photocatalysis, harvesting solar power, and (bio)chemical sensing. The ability to efficiently direct optical signals to and from the functional parts of the advanced materials needed for these applications is crucial for the success of these technologies. However, conventional objectives used in laboratory settings are often bulky and expensive. In our research we explore the use of colloids as additional refractive elements to deliver high optical signals to and from functional materials at the nanoscale.

    Koen Vermeulen
    FCC PhD

  • Bijels for fast-charging Lithium-ion batteries

    Next-generation Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries feature faster charging rates, longer operation lifespan, and sustainable materials. Improving Li-ion battery performance provides powerful energy storage solutions, essential for expanding electric vehicle use and building more flexible electrical grids. However, the application of battery nanoparticles with high theoretical capacity and natural abundance is hindered by diffusion limitation of Li-ions and significant volumetric change during charge-discharge cycles. This main goal of this project is to solve these problems by making a battery nanoparticle network via bijel formation.

    Wei-Che Lin
    FCC PhD

  • An Electric Charge Sensor For Soft Matter

    Electric charges exist not only in electrical appliances, but also in yoghurt, paint, skin cream, blood, and wet baby diapers. These are examples of soft matter containing both mobile charges (e.g., dissolved salt ions) and charges that are fixed on larger particles, such as proteins or polymers. The mobile and fixed charges are important for physical properties, for instance the colloidal stability of paints and food emulsions or the retention of water by diapers. We will develop a sensor to measure mobile and fixed electric charges in soft matter, for science, product development, and quality control of soft matter.

    Sam Bastiaan
    FCC PhD