Prof. Joost Brancart

In 2017 Joost Brancart obtained his PhD degree at the Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science (FYSC) research group of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He developed expertise in the preparation and study of reversible covalent polymer network systems. The reversible network formation can be activated by means of a thermal stimulus for networks crosslinked using the thermoreversible Diels-Alder reaction or by means of a light stimulus for networks crosslinked using the photoreversible anthracene dimerization reaction. These stimuli-responsive materials find applications as self-healing materials, for reversible adhesion and in advanced processing techniques that are otherwise not available to covalent polymer networks, e.g. additive manufacturing.

Joost is now active as a postdoctoral researcher, currently affiliated to the FWO. He supervises and guides PhD students and master thesis students in topics related to reversible polymerization and stimuli-responsive materials for various applications (self-healing coatings for corrosion protection, self-healing robotic actuators, deformation and damage sensing, adaptable/transformable structures ...). In his personal research ihe studies the influence of filler materials on the properties of the developed reversible polymer network composites to create electrically conductive reversible networks, among other.

Joost has also been actively involved in teaching with activities in BA1 chemistry and BA2 thermodynamics courses during his PhD and involvement in MA1 Polymer Materials courses during his postdoc.

Selected Projects

Soft Self-responsive Smart MAterials for RoboTs

The SMART Innovative Training Network is a joint venture between academia and industry, providing scientific and personal development of young researchers in the multidisciplinary fields of soft robotics and smart materials. SMART will realize the technologically and scientifically ambitious breakthroughs to exploit smart, stimuli-responsive material systems for actuation, sensing and ...

Chemitecture

Digital materials for a personalized world Using smart CHEMIstry and additive manufacturing approaches for creating polymeric archiTECTURES to reach a new level/dimension in tailored material design and function

Self-Healing Robotics

The SHERO project is funded under the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme of the European Commission (grant agreement ID 828818). The radical vision of the SHERO project is the ambitious development of fully-autonomous self-healing soft robotic devices, by integrating engineered functional materials, smart sensing and active actuation and control capabilities into soft robots.

PolyFlam: Polyol-based Flame Retardants and Lubricants

The PolyFlam VLAIO ICON project will investigate new, greener synthesis routes for polyols (KU Leuven & Oleon) and the functionalization thereof by esterification and phosphorylation (UGent) for several different applications. The degradation kinetics and flame retardant properties of the synthesized phosphorylated polyols will be investigated (VUB) in close collaboration with industrial partners ...

AMSeR: Additive Manufacturing of Self-Healing Robotics

The possibility to use additive manufacturing techniques for advanced processing of reversible polymer networks is explored in a collaborative FWO SBO project between VUB and KU Leuven. The FYSC research group focuses on the use of the fused filament fabrication method for 3D printing of soft actuators and sensors in a close collaboration with the R&MM robotics research group at VUB. At the SMaRT ...

Self-healing Actuators for Robotic Applications

The doctoral project is a multidisciplinary research on the implementation of available self-healing (SH) materials in compliant actuators, specic for robotic applications. The project will be conducted on the University of Brussels (VUB) at the research group Robotics and Multibody Mechanics (R&MM) and with a strong involvement of the Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science (FYSC) research ...

Self-healing polymer networks based on thermoreversible covalent bonding

A new class of polymeric materials has been developped by introducing reversible covalent bonds into covalently cross-linked polymer network systems, resulting in reversible covalent polymer network systems (RCPNS). In this project the reversible covalent bonds are thermally reversible bonds, e.g. by means of the Diels-Alder reaction between furan and maleimide function groups. Polymer ...

Towards dynamic preventive self-restoring of thin films based on photo-reversible covalent networks

The objective of this project is the synthesis, characterization, and optimization of novel thin cross-linked polymer films with multiple reversible covalent bonds. Such films could find application as a sustainable self-restoring alternative for regular surface coatings prone to fatigue- and micro damage, thus reducing the use of raw materials and the emission of harmful components into the ...

Selected Publications

Roels E., Terryn S., Iida F., Bosman A. W., Norvez S., Clemens F., Van Assche G., Vanderborght B. and Brancart J.Processing of Self-Healing Polymers for Soft Robotics,Advanced Materials,2021 (October).

Terryn S., Langenbach J., Roels E., Brancart J., Bakkali-Hassani C., Poutrel Q.-A., Georgopoulou A., Thuruthel T. G., Safaei A., Ferrentino P., Sebastian T., Norvez S., Iida F., Bosman A. W., Tournilhac F., Clemens F. J., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.A review on self-healing polymers for soft robotics,Materials Today,47: 187-205,2021 (August).

Brancart J., Van Damme J., Du Prez F. and Van Assche G.Substituent effect on the thermophysical properties and thermal dissociation behaviour of 9-substituted anthracene derivatives,Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics,23: 2252-2263,2021 (January).

Georgopoulou A., Bosman A. W., Brancart J., Vanderborght B. and Clemens F.Supramolecular Self-Healing Sensor Fiber Composites for Damage Detection in Piezoresistive Electronic Skin for Soft Robots,Polymers,13(17): 2983,2021 (September).

Safaei A., Terryn S., Vanderborght B., Van Assche G. and Brancart J.The Influence of the Furan and Maleimide Stoichiometry on the Thermoreversible Diels–Alder Network Polymerization,Polymers,13(15): 2522,2021 (July).

Bettens T., Lacanau V., Van Lommel R., De Maeseneer T., Vandeplassche W., Bertouille J., Brancart J., Barlow T.M.A., Woller T., Van den Brande N., Moldenaers P., De Proft F., Madder A., Hoogenboom R., Martin C., Ballet S. and Alonso M.Towards the understanding of halogenation in peptide hydrogels: a quantum chemical approach,Materials Advances,2: 4792-4803,2021 (Juni).

Cerdan Gomez K., Van Assche G., Van Puyvelde P. and Brancart J.A novel approach for the closure of large damage in self-healing elastomers using magnetic particles,Polymer,204: 122819,2020 (September).

Brancart J., Van Damme J., Du Prez F. and Van Assche G. Thermal dissociation of anthracene photodimers in the condensed state: kinetic evaluation and complex phase behaviour,Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics,22: 17306-17313,2020 (July).

Terryn S., Roels E., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B. Self-healing and high interfacial strength in multi-material soft pneumatic robots via reversible Diels-Alder bonds,Actuators,9(2): 34-51,2020 (April).

Roels E., Terryn S., Brancart J., Verhelle R., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.Additive Manufacturing for Self-Healing Soft Robots,Soft Robotics,2020 (March).

Mangialetto J., Cuvellier A., Verhelle R., Brancart J., Rahier H., Van Assche G., Van den Brande N. and Van Mele B.Diffusion- and Mobility-Controlled Self-Healing Polymer Networks with Dynamic Covalent Bonding,Macromolecules,52(21): 8440-8452,2019 (October).

Vanden Elsacker E., Vandelook S., Brancart J., Peeters E. and De Laet L.Mechanical, physical and chemical characterization of mycelium-based composites with different types of lignocellulosic substrates,PlosONE,14(7): e0213954,2019 (July).

Roels E., Terryn S., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.A Multi-Material Self-Healing Soft Gripper,RoboSoft 2019 - 2019 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics,: 316-321,2019 (May).

Poppe S., Holohan E.P., Galland O., Buls N., Van Gompel G., Keelson B., Tournigand P.Y., Brancart J., Hollis D., Nila A. and Kervyn M.An Inside Perspective on Magma Intrusion: Quantifying 3D Displacement and Strain in Laboratory Experiments by Dynamic X-Ray Computed Tomography,Frontiers in Earth Science,7: 62,2019 (April).

Van Damme J., van den Berg O., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Du Prez F.A novel donor-π-acceptor anthracene monomer: Towards faster and milder reversible dimerization,Tetrahedron,75(7): 912-920,2019 (February).

Brancart J., Verhelle R., Mangialetto J. and Van Assche G.Coupling the Microscopic Healing Behaviour of Coatings to the Thermoreversible Diels-Alder Network Formation,Coatings,9(1): 13,2018 (December).

Cuvellier A., Verhelle R., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Rahier H.The influence of stereochemistry on the reactivity of the Diels–Alder cycloaddition and the implications for reversible network polymerization,Polymer Chemistry,10: 473-485,2018 (December).

Van Damme J., van den Berg O., Vlaminck L., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Du Prez F.Anthracene-based polyurethane networks: Tunable thermal degradation, photochemical cure and stress-relaxation,European Polymer Journal,205: 412-420,2018 (Augustus).

Diaz M.M., Brancart J., Van Assche G. and Van Mele B.Room-temperature versus heating-mediated healing of a Diels-Alder crosslinked polymer network,Polymer,153: 453-463,2018 (September).

Terryn S., Brancart J., Lefeber D., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght BA Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Manufactured Out of Self-Healing Polymers That Can Repair Macroscopic Damages,IEEE Robotics and Automation,3(1): 16-21,2017 (July).

Van Damme J., van den Berg O., Brancart J., Vlaminck L., Huyck C., Van Assche G., Van Mele B. and Du Prez F.Anthracene-Based Thiol-Ene Networks with Thermo-Degradable and Photo-Reversible Properties,MACROMOLECULES,50(5): 1930-1938,2017 (MAR).

Willocq B., Khelif F., Brancart J., Van Assche G., Dubois P. and Raquez J.M.One-component Diels-Alder based polyurethanes: a unique way to self-heal,RSC ADVANCES,7(76): 48047-48053,2017.

Terryn S., Brancart J., Lefeber D., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.Self-healing soft pneumatic robots,Science Robotics,2(9): 1--12,2017 (August).

Terryn S., Mathijssen G., Brancart J., Verstraten T., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.Toward Self-Healing Actuators: A Preliminary Concept,IEEE Transactions on Robotics,32(3): 736-743,2016 (JUN).

Terryn S., Mathijssen G., Brancart J., Lefeber D., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.Development of a self-healing soft pneumatic actuator: a first concept,Bioinspiration & Biomimetics,10(4): 046007,2015 (JUL).

Terryn S., Mathijssen G., Brancart J., Verstraten T., Van Assche G. and Vanderborght B.Investigation of self-healing compliant actuators for robotics,Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA),: 258-263,2015 (MAY).

Scheltjens G, Diaz MM, Brancart J, Van Assche G and Van Mele BA self-healing polymer network based on reversible covalent bonding,Reactive & Functional Polymers,73(2): 413-420,2013 (Feb).

Brancart J., Scheltjens G., Muselle T., Van Mele B., Terryn H. and Van Assche G.Atomic force microscopy-based study of self-healing coatings based on reversible polymer network systems,JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT MATERIAL SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES,45(1): 40-46,2014 (JAN).

Scheltjens G, Brancart J, De Graeve I, Van Mele B, Terryn H and Van Assche GSelf-healing property characterization of reversible thermoset coatings,Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry,105(3): 805-809,2011 (Sep).

Courses

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics for bachelor students in Engineering

Polymer Materials

Course in polymer science. Structure-property relations in polymers.