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GRK 1642:  Soft Matter Science: Concepts for the Design of Functional Materials

Subject Area Polymer Research
Term from 2010 to 2019
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 148932336
 
Final Report Year 2019

Final Report Abstract

The central goal of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) “Soft Matter Science: Concepts for the Design of Functional Materials” (SoMaS) between the universities of Freiburg and Strasbourg (with colleagues from Basel and Mulhouse participating) was to train young researchers in the field of soft matter. Without any doubt, soft matter science is a growing field of research, attracting attention from chemists, physicists, biologists and engineers. In part, this appeal comes from the astounding properties of “soft materials”, e.g. from their unique capacity to respond to external stimuli and to “self-assemble” into structures larger than the constituent molecules. Modern materials science increasingly employs soft matter systems for the design of new materials holding the promise of creating materials with a level of functionality similar to that in nature. The objectives of the IRTG SoMaS were (i) to promote graduate education, (ii) to increase international scientific exchange, in particular between Germany and France, and (iii) to achieve scientific progress in the field of soft matter science. Since soft matter science is a highly interdisciplinary field, multiple disciplines such as chemistry, physics, engineering, materials science and biology were represented in the research and training programme of the IRTG, providing the doctoral researchers with expertise far beyond the specific area of their PhD. All doctoral projects were bi-national, e.g. each doctoral researcher had two supervisors, one from France and one from Germany. This allowed for an international setting of the PhD thesis and for access to a larger pool of methods and concepts. In order to provide the young researchers with the best possible education, a multifaceted qualification programme accompanying the doctoral research was organized. The programme comprised a variety of scientific events such as annual SoMaS summer schools, discussion meetings, internal workshops, training camps, thematic workshops, soft skill courses and regular visits of international experts presenting their research during weekly seminars. Over the nine years, the IRTG has organized 44 scientific events and 250 seminars. The qualification programme provided scientific and soft skills, encouraged the active participation of the doctoral researchers, and aimed at preparing them for the international job market. Until now, 44 doctoral researchers successfully defended their PhD within the IRTG (the others will defend in the near future) and many of them currently hold attractive research positions at institutes all over the world. As consequence of the success of the IRTG and with the aim to attract a higher number of students to the field of soft matter, a new international master programme in polymer science was established between the Universities of Freiburg and Strasbourg. The research programme of the IRTG “Soft Matter Science: Concepts for the Design of Functional Materials” was based on fundamental questions, but also had a thrust to harness these “concepts” to develop functional materials for future applications. Self-assembly and responsiveness offer tremendous opportunities for the design of materials with specific functionality. In the first funding period, the research was organized in three thematic areas: (A) controlling and directing assembly processes in soft matter systems, (B) designing and improving multi-component soft matter systems and (C) exploring and sensing interfacial properties of soft matter systems. In continuation of this core research idea, in the second funding period, the research programme was structured around the following three thematic areas: (A) soft matter interfaces: from membranes to tribology, (B) from design to multifunctional materials and devices and (C) from physical concepts to material properties. During the nine years of its existence, the IRTG has achieved excellent scientific progress, documented by a substantial number of publications, many of which are in top journals in the respective field. Many publications were co-authored by researchers from different disciplines and from authors from Germany and France, highlighting the added value by the interdisciplinary and international character of the programme. Overall, the IRTG SoMaS was very successful in advancing scientific exchange on soft matter science by initiating and intensifying many collaborations in the Upper Rhine Valley. In addition, the IRTG’s research programme opened up to the entire international soft matter community: 382 national and international experts in the field of soft matter science were invited to contribute to the research and qualification programme and numerous international collaborations with leading experts in the field were initiated and maintained.

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