Student Projects
Please check also the groups' websites for student projects that are not listed here yet.
Project or thesis student, 60-100%, m/f/d
qCella, a deep tech startup from ETH Zurich, specializes in innovative materials for resistive heating applications. Their paper-thin, flexible heating mats aim to replace traditional heating wire technology in various products like car seats, clothing, and shoes. They are looking for master's students in Materials Science or Chemistry to contribute to product and material development, tackle research challenges with practical applications, design and conduct experiments, and analyze results.
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Bacteria meet materials! From biomineralization to carbonate-based living materials
Natural calcium carbonate is produced through a complex process determined by chemical, biological, physical, and anthropological factors whereas synthetic calcium carbonate is obtained by easy chemical protocols. Although the synthetic approach seems attractive due to the short synthesis time and control over the mineral microstructure, the reactants and products of this reaction can be toxic and thus being an unsustainable process. On the other hand, a bioinspired method based on mineralization induced by soil bacteria emerges as a sustainable alternative to synthesize calcium carbonate in a controlled manner. Biomineralization is a natural process that harnesses the biological and biochemical mechanisms of microorganisms to induce the precipitation of minerals intra or extracellularly. The polymorphs of bacterial-induced calcium carbonate are dictated by the chemical composition of the medium used for the culture of mineralizing bacteria as previously described. Despite biomineralization is already being exploited in the development of applications such as self-healing concrete, bio bricks, bio cement, among others, it remains still challenging to predict the resulting polymorph and control over the structural properties of the calcium carbonate based on the biological feature of the system.
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Mineralization Biosensors
Natural calcium carbonate is produced through a complex process determined by chemical, biological, physical, and anthropological factors whereas synthetic calcium carbonate is obtained by easy chemical protocols. Although the synthetic approach seems attractive due to the short synthesis time and control over the mineral microstructure, the reactants and products of this reaction can be toxic and thus being an unsustainable process. On the other hand, a bioinspired method based on mineralization induced by soil bacteria emerges as a sustainable alternative to synthesize calcium carbonate in a controlled manner. Biomineralization is a natural process that harnesses the biological and biochemical mechanisms of microorganisms to induce the precipitation of minerals intra or extracellularly. The polymorphs of bacterial-induced calcium carbonate are dictated by the chemical composition of the medium used for the culture of mineralizing bacteria as previously described. Despite biomineralization is already being exploited in the development of applications such as self-healing concrete, bio-bricks, bio cement, among others, it remains still challenging to predict the resulting polymorph and control over the structural properties of the calcium carbonate based on the biological feature of the system.
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Soft materials with active transitions in mechanical properties
The design and fabrication of active and adaptive molecular materials have drawn the attention of the research community since new dynamic functionalities can be incorporated into classically passive materials. Because these dynamic systems are widespread in nature, we take inspiration from the biochemical processes that occur at the single-cell level. These biochemical processes allow cells to adapt to different conditions by regulating their behavior in time (e.g., circadian rhythm) and in space (e.g., chemotaxis in eukaryotic cells). When transferred to and coupled with responsive hydrogels, such out-of-equilibrium processes can enable an active transition in materials’ properties, such as stiffness. The aim of this project is to produce a hydrogel material system that can undergo a transition in mechanical properties by converting a local stimulus (e.g., light or applied forces) into a global response that leads to a transition from a soft to a stiff state or vice-versa.
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Susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking in biodegradable magnesium-based alloys
Biodegradable implants only stay for a limited time in the body and degrade after they have fulfilled their task. This renders an implant removal surgery unnecessary. This study investigates via electron microscopy and slow strain-rate mechanical testing the underlying mechanisms affecting stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of biodegradable Mg alloys loaded in corrosive environment.
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Atomistic Simulations of Polymer Networks to Bridge to Mesoscopic Simulations
In this research project, we will investigate the viscoelastic behaviour of PDMS polymer networks using atomistic simulations. We seek an understanding of the short-time behaviour and want to know the feasibility of explaining and bridging between these atomistic simulations and coarse-grained (Kremer-Grest) studies.
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