An important milestone reached for FRG member Ulzhalgas (Ulia) Karatayeva – passed her viva with flying colours on Sep 11th!
Many congratulations to Dr Ulia, and well done for the fantastic job, and excellent research output focussed on the capture and conversion of CO2 to useful fuels and feedstocks!
Thank you to external examiner Prof. Deepa Khushalani, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and internal examiner, Dr Avinash Patil!
PhD students Jerry Mintah and Junru Chen attended the Faraday Discussions 2025 – Polymerisation and depolymerisation chemistry: the second century held in Oxford, where both presented posters showcasing their latest research.
This year’s Faraday Discussions brought together leading researchers from around the world and focused on four key themes: (1) novel feedstocks for sustainable polymers; (2) catalysts for polymerisation and depolymerisation; (3) closing the loop; (4) computational methods for polymer processes.
It was a fantastic opportunity to present the work of the Faul Research Group, gain new insights, and learn from others in the rapidly evolving field of polymer science!
Charl is enjoying being back in Beijing again. ChinaNano is a great meeting, and an opportunity to showcase research from the group in an invited talk – and also to see many friends, including Prof Kun Liu from Jilin University, Changchun!
Charl is back in China, attending two conferences to speak about the groups work. The first is in Enshi, in a beautiful part of China, close to Chengdu – POPs 2025!
After Enshi, Charl will be heading to Jilin University (JLU) in Changchun and then to ChinaNano 2025 in Beijing. JLU is a close partner of the University of Bristol, and the School of Chemistry, and sent almost 40 students to Bristol for the advanced chemistry summer school!
We are very pleased to have hosted Feiyang Li, a visiting undergraduate student from the Tsinghua Xuetang International Chemistry Exchange Programme. Feiyang joined the Faul Research Group for a two-month research experience, and is now heading back to Beijing!
During his time here, Feiyang worked alongside PhD student Jerry Mintah on porous polyimide materials for CO2 capture and conversion. His contribution to the project and enthusiasm were greatly appreciated!
As he returns to China, we wish him all the best in his future studies, and hope to see him in Bristol soon again!
Continuing from previous work, a paper has just been published Open Access in Communications Materials, entitled “Biocompatible low-voltage electrothermal actuators with biological operational temperature range“. This new study is authored by Adéla Slavíková, Benjamin C. Baker, Marcos Villeda-Hernandez, undergraduate contributors Annabel Coekin and Julia Kwasniewska, collaborators from NHS and Bristol Medical School within the emPOWER project, and Charl Faul.
This study presents a low-voltage (3.6 V) electrothermal actuator, Bio35, that operates at mild hyperthermic temperatures (38.9 °C). Bio35 features facile synthesis, high chemical stability, excellent cyclic actuation performance, and non-cytoxicity. Two systems have been demonstrated: a simple gripper and a sphincter-like valve, showcasing Bio35‘s potential for use in treating conditions like urinary incontinence, where precise, muscle-like actuation is critical for function.
Check the paper for more details!
It was a pleasure to host Professor Yulan Chen from the Collage of Chemistry, Jilin University, to give a research seminar as part of the “Functional Molecules and Materials” research theme. Her group works on polymer mechanochemistry and mechano-responsive polymeric materials.
Prof. Yulan Chen is currently visiting Bristol, accompanying the 40 senior UG students from Julin University participating in our Advanced Experimental Chemistry summer school here in Bristol.
We are excited to share that a new research paper, “Functionalised Polyaniline-Based Porous Organic Polymers for Catalytic Conversion of CO2 into Cyclic Carbonates,” authored by Ulzhalgas Karatayeva and Charl F. J. Faul, has been published Open Access in Chemical Communications!
This work introduces a sustainable strategy for CO2 capture and conversion using carboxylic-functionalised polyaniline-based porous organic polymers. These materials enable the efficient production of cyclic carbonates with high conversion rates and excellent recyclability, all without the need for solvents or co-catalysts. This study highlights the potential of heterogeneous catalysts to advance green and cost-effective CO2 utilisation.
🔗 Click here to read the full paper!
This July celebrates the success of Faul Research Group members and their graduation! Congratulations once again to Dr Helal Alharbi, Dr Xue Fang, Shaohua Li, Amelia Reay, Becca Rees-Porter, Freddy Walden, and Paige Barker!
Warmest wishes from all of us in the group, and the very best to their next chapters, whether in academia, industry, or beyond!
A new review paper titled “Exploring conjugated microporous polymers for hydrogen storage: A review of current advances” authored by John Worth, Valeska P. Ting, and Charl F. J. Faul, was recently published Open Access in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy!
This extensive review offers design guidelines and insights to support the development of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) as physisorption-based materials for hydrogen storage, serving as a valuable reference for future research on the related fields. Check the paper for more details!
