Prof. Dr. Bert Meijer

The research group is actively working together with Dr. Giulia Lavarda and the research groups of Profs. Tanja Weil, Mischa Bonn and Paul Blom in the design, synthesis, characterization and possible applications of novel supramolecular materials and systems with a special focus on chirality. These supramolecular materials are either bioactive (Weil) or have novel optoelectronic properties (Blom), while the supramolecular systems are studied in water (Bonn). Some recent highlights are related to the formation of tactoids of supramolecular polymers in water by liquid-liquid phase separation (Fig. 1). The high aspect ratio of the supramolecular fibers makes the order of the tactoids very high and even organized surfaces can be observed. The physical properties are studied with detailed scattering experiments together with Prof. George Fytas. By combining macromolecules as crowders, we were able to influence the supramolecular polymerization in a controlled way. More recently, a highly active field of science and engineering has been the computer-aided design of materials using machine learning and robotics. In a joint Germany-Netherlands approach, we have made some important steps to introduce these machine learning approaches in supramolecular polymerization. For the years to come, we will focus more on chiral structures to understand the emergence of supramolecular chirality and even homochirality in time and space. Some intriguing results are found by combining different molecules to form chiral tactoids, observe circular polarized fluorescence energy transfer and unprecedented amplification of asymmetry of surfactants in water.