Featured: Sean Lugger

Were you surprised?

‘I was familiar with the award, partly because our group [Albert Schenning’s group, ed.] has produced several winners. But I didn’t know that Albert had nominated me, so when I received the message that I had won, it truly was a surprise. The award really does carry weight — I received a great many positive responses, including through the KNCV from many of its members. Professor Challa was present at the award ceremony, which was very special. And the finest part was being invited to give a presentation at the EPF conference in Groningen. Having the opportunity to share your work with a large and engaged audience is, to me, the real prize.’

Could you briefly outline what your research was about?

‘I worked on the design and synthesis of responsive actuators that are recyclable and reusable — because current responsive materials typically are not. As a foundation, I developed a thermoplastic elastomer consisting of alternating “hard” and “soft” blocks. The hard blocks, the crosslink component, provide the dynamic quality in that the material can be melted down and reshaped. The soft blocks deliver the desired responsive property. For temperature sensitivity you use liquid crystals, and if you want light sensitivity, you add an azobenzene, for instance. We also looked at applications — amongst other things, you can make fibres from it that can be made to perform mechanical movements. And we demonstrated that the material is reusable and recyclable.’

But what does that mean precisely, because reuse and recycling can be interpreted in many ways.

‘They are reusable because these materials can be “reprogrammed” and “reshaped” by heating them and tweaking properties locally. But you can also melt them down completely and reshape them from scratch. That is what we call recycling.’

Are there concrete applications for this material, or is it primarily of conceptual relevance?

‘Primarily conceptual. We have demonstrated that it is possible to produce a recyclable responsive material in this way, but concrete applications for this specific material are a long way off. You might think of soft grippers for delicate objects, or smart textiles that respond to body temperature. Or more broadly: soft robotics.’

What are you doing now?

‘In May 2024 I joined SABIC as a product developer. I already had that position before the award was announced, so it didn’t help me secure it. But I did add it to my CV straight away, and within SABIC too I’ve received many messages from colleagues — including ones I didn’t know, but who are KNCV members. For the visibility of your research, an award like this is truly invaluable.’

The Challa Prize is awarded biennially by the KNCV Macromolecules Section for the best doctoral thesis in polymer chemistry or technology. The prize is named after Ger Challa, emeritus professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Groningen.