“Insight into even the most complex materials or problems can often come from surprisingly simple experiments.”

Hans Wyss is associate professor in microfluidics and soft matter in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Hans’ group studies materials that are structured at the meso-scale - larger than molecules but smaller than macroscopic objects. The group develops and uses simple tools, often based on microfluidics technology, for studying the mechanics, dynamics and structure of complex soft materials.

Examples of materials studied include colloidal suspensions and gels, emulsions, foams, biological systems, and polymers. Their rich phase behavior is one reason why they can be encountered in a wide range of applications; at the same time they hold a tremendous potential for studying fundamental scientific questions that are relevant to the behavior of all materials. A key expertise of the group is the measurement of mechanical properties of soft materials at small length scales. Further focus points are the study of the mechanics and dynamics of microgel particles, and the study of phoretic forces acting on colloidal particles, which the group has recently shown to be responsible for the previously unexplained “exclusion-zone” effect, an intriguing long-range repulsion of colloidal particles from a solid surface. More information on Hans’ research activities can be found on his research website, http://www.mate.tue.nl/~wyss.

Hans Wyss received his PhD (dr. sc. nat.) from the Materials Department at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where he worked on ceramic suspensions and gels. In his undergraduate education he studied experimental physics at the Physics Department of ETH Zurich. Before joining TU/e in 2009, Hans worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Experimental Soft Matter group at Harvard University. He is a core member of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS) and regularly collaborates with other ICMS members, particularly on the study of responsive hydrogels and microgels. Outside TU/e, Hans regularly collaborates with a range of international groups from countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, Korea, and the United States.

• Microsystems Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, TU/e
• Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS)
• Materials Technology Group TU/e
• Eindhoven Polymer Laboratories (EPL)

Partners in (semi-)industry

• FrieslandCampina (Dutch dairy company, Wageningen, NL)
• Wetsus (Industry-funded water research institute, Leeuwarden, NL)