Deadline: 18-10-2012
Nationality: Any
Nationality: Any
Job description
Supramolecular polymers are quasi-linear assemblies of
molecules that continually exchange, shed and absorb material. Many are
polymorphic so transition between different conformational states
depending on temperature, concentration and composition. While the
equilibrium properties of reversible polymerisations and the competition
between left- and right-handed helices, filaments and tubes, and so on,
are relatively well understood, very little is known about the kinetics
underlying the formation, breakdown and conformational transformations
of polymer-like assemblies.
A number of experimental groups have started making use of chirality amplification to investigate this, pioneering methods in which the mixing kinetics of molecules at the supramolecular level can be probed in parallel to conformational switching. However, progress is hampered by the lack of theoretical models that can be used to interpret experimental findings and extract relevant information, e.g., on assembly pathways, from experimental observations. This requires the development of a new theoretical framework in which the chemical composition of supramolecular polymers is treated on an equal footing with the way the components are bound in the assemblies.
A number of experimental groups have started making use of chirality amplification to investigate this, pioneering methods in which the mixing kinetics of molecules at the supramolecular level can be probed in parallel to conformational switching. However, progress is hampered by the lack of theoretical models that can be used to interpret experimental findings and extract relevant information, e.g., on assembly pathways, from experimental observations. This requires the development of a new theoretical framework in which the chemical composition of supramolecular polymers is treated on an equal footing with the way the components are bound in the assemblies.
Requirements
In the 4-year PhD project we intend to work out master
equation-type kinetic theories for a variety of reaction pathways
involving co-polymeric assemblies that in addition can be in different
conformational states. The project also aims at developing a novel
coarse-grained self-assembly model inspired by the kinetic theory of
phase transitions, allowing for much more straightforward description of
supramolecular polymers far out of equilibrium, e.g., in flow fields.
Profile
The PhD project is part of a continuing collaboration with experimental groups at Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, and Université Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. The success of the project relies on active exchange of information between the theoretical and experimental partners, requiring excellent communication skills of the candidate. We specifically invite applications from candidates who recently obtained a master degree in (theoretical) physics, applied mathematics, materials science, physical chemistry or chemical engineering, with a strong interest in statistical mechanical theory and soft matter physics.
Profile
The PhD project is part of a continuing collaboration with experimental groups at Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, and Université Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. The success of the project relies on active exchange of information between the theoretical and experimental partners, requiring excellent communication skills of the candidate. We specifically invite applications from candidates who recently obtained a master degree in (theoretical) physics, applied mathematics, materials science, physical chemistry or chemical engineering, with a strong interest in statistical mechanical theory and soft matter physics.
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