About our lab

Global challenges in climate change, sustainability, and food and water security demand transformative processes and tailored materials, engineered through a fundamental understanding of coupled heat, momentum, and mass transfer, phase transitions (notably crystallisation), interfacial phenomena, and complex fluids. By integrating advanced experimental techniques—including optics, microfluidics, electrochemical selective ion separation approaches, and physics guided automation—with theoretical approaches (reduced order modeling and simulations), we push the boundaries of process engineering and resource recovery. We are an interdisciplinary team within the Process & Energy Department of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft.

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Our Research

Taming crystallization with tailored materials

Crystallization is not only arguably the most common unit operation in industrial practice but also it is omnipresent in nature for instance in formation of kidney stones. A deeper understanding of crystallization holds the key to designing novel processes and materials the in fine chemical, pharmaceutical and biochemical/biomedical industries. By tailoring the structure of soft materials and surfaces, we develop out-of-the-box approaches to control crystallization hence the propagation of intramolecular structures to macroscopic scale.

Advanced hydrodynamic separation processes

Continuous manufacturing processes involve out-of-equilibrium hydrodynamically interacting constituents. We utilize model experimental microfluidic systems and numerical approaches to expand our understanding of flow processes to arrive at novel continuous manufacturing processes. We predict the out-of-equilibrium assembly of constituents through hydrodynamic forces can inform engineering of new frontiers not accessible through equilibrium approaches.

Functional soft matter: From molecular to macroscopic scale

Sculpting the macroscopic shape of soft materials combined with molecular design enables engineers and scientists to address societal challenges. In this project, we design soft microparticles with sensory and authenticity functionalities to tackle two critical public health issues: counterfeiting and product quality assurance. These soft materials can faciliate detection of fake products or products that have been stored in sub- optimal conditions.

See our recent publications