Publications by Holger Frauenrath

Polymer-bridged Nanofibrils in a High-molar-mass Polyester via Co-assembly of Benzenetricarboxamide End Groups and an Additive

John Christopher Plummer, Holger Frauenrath, Daniel Görl, Michael Alan Giffin

Benzenetricarboxamide (BTA) derivatives are versatile compounds widely employed as nucleating agents in commercial semicrystalline plastics and as supramolecular ligands in self-assembling telechelic polymer-based organogels, hydrogels, and bulk elastomers ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2025

Supramolecular modification of sustainable high-molar-mass polymers for improved processing and performance

Holger Frauenrath, Marianne Liebi, Daniel Görl, Nicolas Candau, Oguzhan Oguz, Yevhen Hryshunin

The plastic waste crisis is among humanity’s most urgent challenges. However, widespread adoption of sustainable plastics is hindered by their often inadequate processing characteristics and performance. Here, we introduce a bio-inspired strategy for the m ...

Nature Research2025

Dynamics of hydrogen-bonded end groups in bulk polymers revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy relaxation dispersion experiments

John Christopher Plummer, Holger Frauenrath, Laura Piveteau

The dynamic nature of supramolecular networks of telechelic polymers offers new avenues for the design of novel materials with enhanced melt strength and extensibility, increased energy at break, or self-healing properties. However, monitoring the kinetics ...

2025

Multifunctional Aluminum Pre-treatments from End-Functionalized Phosphonic Acid Self-Assembled Monolayers

Holger Frauenrath, Julian Nicolas Bleich, Reuben Yeo Jueyuan

Aluminum alloys are used in advanced engineering applications as they possess a combination of favorable properties, including high strength, lightweightness, good corrosion resistance, machineability, and recyclability. Such applications often require for ...

2024

Performance polyamides built on a sustainable carbohydrate core

François Maréchal, Véronique Michaud, Jeremy Luterbacher, Holger Frauenrath, Lorenz Perry Manker, Maxime Alexandre Clément Hedou

Sustainably producing plastics with performance properties across a variety of materials chemistries is a major challenge-especially considering that most performance materials use aromatic precursors that are still difficult to source sustainably. Here we ...

Nature Portfolio2024

Synthesis of polysiloxane elastomers modified with sulfonyl side groups and their electromechanical response

Holger Frauenrath, Yauhen Sheima

Dielectric elastomer transducers are elastic capacitors that respond to mechanical or electrical stress. They can be used in applications such as millimeter-sized soft robots and harvesters of the energy contained in ocean waves. The dielectric component o ...

Royal Society of Chemistry2023

Thermoplastic Toughening of a Semiaromatic Polyamide with an Amino-telechelic Polyethylene

John Christopher Plummer, Holger Frauenrath, Michael Alan Giffin

Semiaromatic polyamides are used for metal replacementin advancedengineering applications to reduce weight and improve efficiency,but their range of application is limited by their inherent lack ofductility and toughness. Here, we combined semiaromatic pol ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2023

All-polyamide nanofibrillar composites by in situ fibrillation of aramid fibers

John Christopher Plummer, Holger Frauenrath, Pascal Alexander Schouwink, Nicolas Candau, Oguzhan Oguz, Sylvain Cyril Claude Galland

All-polyamide composites containing up to 30 vol% highly dispersed PPTA nanofibrils with diameters in the range 50-500 nm were prepared by melt-compounding polyamide 6,10 (PA610) with chopped poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers in the temperatu ...

Elsevier Sci Ltd2023

Reversible Microscale Assembly of Nanoparticles Driven by the Phase Transition of a Thermotropic Liquid Crystal

Francesco Stellacci, Holger Frauenrath, Paulo Henrique Jacob Silva, Stephen Schrettl, Kellen Michael Harkness

The arrangement of nanoscale building blocks into patternswithmicroscale periodicity is challenging to achieve via self-assemblyprocesses. Here, we report on the phase-transition-driven collectiveassembly of gold nanoparticles in a thermotropic liquid crys ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2023

Transient Elastomers with High Dielectric Permittivity for Actuators, Sensors, and Beyond

Holger Frauenrath, Yauhen Sheima

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are key materials in actuators, sensors, energy harvesters, and stretchable electronics. These devices find applications in important emerging fields such as personalized medicine, renewable energy, and soft robotics. However, e ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2022