Accepted article in Macromol. Rapid Commun.

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Faul Research Group

Congratulations to Maxi on having his first first-authored paper accepted in Macromolecular Rapid Communications!

Sutures are invasive and prone to infection, but a new class of supramolecular-based adhesives offers a better solution. In this study, dopamine-based polymers were synthesized, resulting in highly effective, non-cytotoxic adhesives with mechanical strength superior to commercial bio-adhesives like BioGlue and Tisseel. These adhesives can re-adhere, perform well in aqueous environments, and be safely removed with ethanol, demonstrating significant potential for surgical use.

DOI string and more details to come.

Alchemy and soft robotics!

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Faul Research Group

Open access review article from Marcos and co-authors now available in Soft Science.

This review comprehensively examines topics on the interface of soft robotics and chemistry including the utilisation of chemical power sources, oscillating systems, and chemically driven pneumatic actuation.

Link here.

Ulia returns from Japan

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Faul Research Group

This week, the Faul Group is welcoming back Ulia as she returns from her two-month visit to the National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. During this collaborative period, her skills concerning in situ measurements for evaluating material performance in carbon dioxide reduction were honed.

Welcome back.

Introducing Mixterial

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Faul Research Group

Pleased to announce that Faul Group member Sam Deeks, Prof Faul and Dr Lennox have co-founded Mixterial.

Sam and co-founders have developed an innovative range of conductive composites suitable for use in electrosynthesis, aerospace, sensors, and various other applications. The materials and technology were developed and refined during Deeks’ PhD and proved to be commercially viable.

Funding for market research and viability assessment was made possible with the Innovate UK ICURe EXPLORE initiative – a comprehensive 12-week market exploration program. It offers financial backing of up to £35,000 to cover the Entrepreneurial Lead’s salary, assumption testing, and customer discovery endeavours. Its primary objective is to assist research teams from various regions of the UK in exploring technology applications and validating value propositions through extensive global market engagement.

More information can be found at https://www.mixterial.com/.

“Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Catalytic CO₂ Conversion” in Advanced Science

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Faul Research Group

The first publication of 2024 from the Faul Research Group, primary authored by Ulzhalgas, is an open access review covering studies demonstrating how desirable properties possessed by conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) offer a route to sustainable and green long-term solutions.

Find a link to the manuscript here.

Introducing PoreSafe

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Faul Research Group

Researchers and experts (including Prof Faul and Dr Baker) from the University of Bristol have developed a new technology known as PoreSafe. These materials offer innovative solutions to tackle bacterial growth, even for the most resilient bacteria. Additionally, the activity of these materials does not diminish over time and can be blended and incorporated into other materials and formulations.

A short video introducing this technology can be found below.

Royce summer intern interview with ex-Faul Group member Jerry Mintah

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Faul Research Group

Jerry Mintah, a Royce Summer Intern, shares his experience of working with the Faul Research Group in an interview with Dr. George Miller, the Royce Student Engagement Manager. During the eight-week internship, Jerry worked alongside his mentor, Basiram Brahma Narzary, and supervisor, Professor Charl F. J. Faul.

Jerry’s Royce Summer Internship project was focused on porous polyimide networks for CO₂ capture and conversion. The project has the potential to significantly contribute to industrial decarbonisation and combat the urgent climate crisis brought about by global warming.

Jerry was also co-author on a recent paper from the Faul Group, which was featured on the inside front cover of the RSC journal Materials Chemistry Frontiers.

More information can be found at Royce.ac.uk and the complete interview is available below.

Lucy passes her Master’s by Research

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Faul Research Group

Congratulations to Lucy Barden who recently passed her Master’s by Research that was undertaken within the Faul Group.

Lucy focused on novel porous organic polymers (POPs) for the application of waste water dye removal.

With thanks to Dr Mi Tian (Exeter) and Dr Sean Davis (Bristol) for their time in the examination process.

Congratulations to Basi

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Faul Research Group

A massive congratulations to Basiram Brahma Narzary who passed his via on 17/10/2023 with minor corrections. With thanks to examiners Dr Sebastien Rochat and Prof. Arne Thomas for their time.

Work from Basiram’s PhD has been published as the following:

B.B. Narzary, B.C. Baker, N. Yadav, V. D’Elia, C.F.J. Faul, Crosslinked porous polyimides: structure, properties and applications, Polym. Chem. 12 (2021) 6494–6514. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1PY00997D.
B.B. Narzary, B.C. Baker, C.F.J. Faul, Selective CO₂ Electroreduction from Tuneable Naphthalene‐Based Porous Polyimide Networks, Advanced Materials. 35 (2023) 2211795. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202211795.
B.B. Narzary, U. Karatayeva, J. Mintah, M. Villeda-Hernandez, C.F.J. Faul, Bifunctional metal-free porous polyimide networks for CO₂ capture and conversion, Mater. Chem. Front. 7 (2023) 4473–4481. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00639E.