This is the official website for the Faul Research Group, based in the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charl-fj-faul-付强/
Professor Olli Ikkala is a faculty member in the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University (previously known as Helsinki University of Technology) in Espoo, near Helsinki. His research focuses on creating functional materials through hierarchical self-assemblies, biomimetics, and natural starting materials. Trained initially in physics, he spent ten years in the chemical industry, primarily working on the development of polymer blends and electrically conducting polymers before returning to academia. The Faul Group hosts him as he visits.
Prof. Ikkala is photographed giving a lecture on life-inspired soft matter dynamics and functionalities below.
Prof Faul was recently invited to spend some time at Tsinghua University Xuetang International Chemistry Summer School. Charl spent 6 years here as adjunct professor (2013–2019). Group member Jerry Mintah joins for on his first trip to China! M. Carmen Galan from the University of Bristol also joins for interactions and scientific discussions with students from China and across the world.
The Timms Lecture and Symposium 2024, hosted at the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry was a resounding success, featuring distinguished speakers and ground-breaking research.
Professor Anna Slater from the University of Liverpool delivered a talk on flow chemistry, highlighting its implications for supramolecular chemistry.
Dr Mike Price from the University of Bristol spoke about ultrafast Coulomb interactions in organic semiconductors, focusing on advancements in photovoltaics and how device physics and ultrafast spectroscopy guide progress in solar energy applications, including solar cells, LEDs, and lasers.
Dr Ananya Mishra from the University of Bristol presented research on biocatalytic programmable protocells, integrating molecular cues into Boolean responses to mimic cellular logic networks for synthetic biology applications.
Professor Richard Kaner from UCLA delivered an enlightening lecture on the synthesis and diverse applications of graphene, emphasising its potential in various fields.
The event included a poster session where researchers at different levels showcased their latest findings. The day concluded with a drinks reception, providing an excellent opportunity for networking and celebrating scientific achievements. Poster prizes were awarded with our very own Xue Fang achieving a prize for best poster.
In this work, we describe a novel cationic porous organic polymer (POP) made of interconnected, protonated polyaryl amines. This POP material rapidly removes carcinogenic Cr2O72- with high capacity, excellent selectivity, and reusability, even at very low concentrations.
Efficiently treating wastewater contaminated with carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) has been a persistent challenge in both academic and industrial research. While ion exchange is recognised for its simplicity and effectiveness, its integration with advanced nanomaterials offers enhanced potential. The cationic porous organic polymer (POP) PTPA–PIP is a novel development poised to aid in industrial wastewater treatment.
PTPA–PIP is synthesised by converting the aromatic polyamine PTPA into its protonated form. This modification significantly increases the polymer’s hydrophilicity, enabling it to disperse uniformly in aqueous environments, which is essential for efficient water treatment applications. PTPA–PIP demonstrates the following:
High exchange capacity: PTPA–PIP exhibits a maximum adsorption capacity of 230 mg Cr2O72– per gram of polymer.
Rapid adsorption kinetics: It achieves an initial adsorption rate of 83 mg g–1 min–1, indicating ultrafast removal of contaminants.
Exceptional Selectivity: The polymer retains approximately 90% of its adsorption capacity even in the presence of a 40-fold concentration of competing anions.
Robust reusability: PTPA–PIP can be reused for at least five cycles without significant loss of performance.
This publication documents a substantial advancement in the field of wastewater treatment with porous polymers, offering a highly effective solution for addressing the challenges associated with Cr(VI) contamination.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Faul Research Group 