Unit
The Soft Materials Laboratory at EPFL, part of the Institute of Materials, focuses on bio-inspired drop-based processes to create microstructured polymeric materials that can be stiffened through targeted mineralization. They study the relationship between structure, local composition, and mechanical properties of these materials, exploring their potential applications in the biomedical field. Research areas include biomineralization, emulsions, hydrogels, and nanoparticles. The lab investigates the formation and stability of emulsion drops, fabricates hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties, synthesizes non-equilibrium nanoparticles, and studies the early stages of CaCO3 formation. They also work on charge-selectively permeable self-healing microcapsules, ionically crosslinked viscoelastic films, and amorphous nanoparticles.