Fellowship for York scientist to support polymer research
Posted on Tuesday 25 August 2009
Dr Verena Görtz, of the University’s Department of Chemistry, will use the funds provided by the Fellowship to develop her pioneering work which focuses on creating polymer beads with liquid crystal properties.
One of the fascinating prospects of my research is to develop effective sensors by exploiting both the elastic and surface properties of polymer beads and the optical properties of liquid crystals
Dr Verena Görtz
Liquid crystals are widely known for their application in liquid crystal displays, such as in LCD-TVs or mobile phones. They are intermediate in order between a liquid and a crystalline solid, uniquely combining the fluidity of liquids with some of the optical properties of crystals. Liquid crystals, therefore, have the ability to visually respond to small external stimuli, such as the presence of different surfaces or the application of electric fields.
Dr Görtz’s research aims to investigate how incorporating and confining liquid crystal order into small polymer beads will affect their physical properties.
Dr Görtz, who is a member of the Materials Chemistry Research Group at York, said: “Small polymer beads, with sizes ranging from hundreds of nanometres to micrometres, find many applications which exploit the surface the particles provide. One example is surface modified beads that bind bio-molecules such as DNA, selectively. The liquid crystal polymer beads I develop are designed to change their optical properties in response to changes at the bead surface caused, for example, by a binding process, and resulting in a visible optical read-out.
“One of the fascinating prospects of my research is to develop effective sensors by exploiting both the elastic and surface properties of polymer beads and the optical properties of liquid crystals. This results in micron-sized materials that respond to a wide variety of changes in the environment, such as mechanical or electrical stimuli, changes in temperature, or external reactions.”
The Fellowship, which starts in October, provides research funding for four years. Born in Germany, Dr Görtz obtained her PhD from the University of Mainz in Germany and worked at the University of Hull before coming to York in 2005.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- More about Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships at http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=1122
- The Department of Chemistry at the University of York has an excellent reputation for teaching and research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise the Department was ranked third among UK chemistry departments, with 75 per cent of research assessed as internationally excellent. It was rated by the NSS as the leading chemistry department in the UK for student satisfaction. The Department, which is led by prize-winners in all areas of chemistry, has over 50 members of academic staff, more than 400 undergraduate students, 160 graduates and 80 research fellows. An academic department at the University of York has become the first in the UK to win the Athena Swan gold award for its commitment to women in science.
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