Laboratory for Acoustics and Thermal Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy
K.U.Leuven
Celestijnenlaan 200D
B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Tel: +32-16 32 7148
Fax:+32-16 32 7984
Michael.Wubbenhorst at fys.kuleuven.be
Current research focuses on the dynamics of liquids and polymers in nanometer confinement, predominantly studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy, organic molecule beam deposition (OMBD) and nanocalorimetry.
Other areas of continuous interest are organic pyroelectric and ferroelectric materials, which are studied by pyroelectric imaging and related techniques.
Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) and specific heat spectroscopy on soft matter and complex liquids:
- glass transition dynamics and physical aging of (bulk) polymers
- supramolecular polymers and H-bonding systems
- liquid crystals, plastic crystals and liquid crystalline polymers
- dielectric probes for the study of free volume and apolar polymers
- ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes and intrinsically conducting polymers
Glass forming systems in geometrical confinement
- glass transition effects in ultra-thin polymer films
- crystallization in confined systems
- confinement effects in nano-porous materials
Dynamics in complex liquids in variable layer confinement
- Thermal wave techniques
- scanning pyroelectric microscopy
- charge and polarisation profiling (LIMM)
- pyroelectric calorimetry
- thermal expansion spectroscopy
Polar and pyroelectric materials
- ferroelectric and pyroelectric polymers
- polar effects in molecular crystals and organic inclusion compounds
- polarity of zeolites and zeolite host-guest materials
