Nr. 154 - Responsive metamaterials (RMM)

Approved FOM programme

The objective
This 'Missieversterkend Strategieprogramma' will allow AMOLF to perform targeted infra­structural investments that will enable AMOLF to start a new initiative in the field of respon­sive metamaterials. This activity is aligned with our new research direction in Designer Matter, and will optimally bridge the two main research themes of AMOLF: biophysics and nanophotonics.

Background, relevance and implementation
AMOLF has been invited by FOM to submit a proposal for a 'missieversterkend strategieprogramma (MVSP') for k€ 375 per year for a four year period (2014 - 2017). This programme will be financed within the budget of the programme envelope of AMOLF. Taking into account the advice of the evaluation panel, the new strategic ambitions of FOM to invest in materials science , and the existing strengths of the institute, AMOLF, has recently chosen to start a new research direction in the field of Designer Matter. Recent years have seen the emergence of new types of man-made matter with properties that resemble biological tissues. Often these new materials are inspired by biology (biomimetic), even employing similar types of molecu­lar interactions like peptide bonds and hydrogen bonds. These kinds of materials, often refer­red to as metamaterials, usually show a very special architecture and span the range of scales, from nano to macro. This programme on Responsive Metamaterials will focus on the design of materials with special functional (e.g. responsive and visco-elastic) properties. Supramolecular hydrogels are an elegant example of such responsive metamaterials.

The budget of this programme will pay for the equipment, technical support, and part of the startup costs needed to start research in the area of responsive metamaterials. Most of the exploitation costs of this new research direction, like junior personnel positions, equipment, and running budgets, will be financed through separate projects and programmes, for which separate proposals will be written.

Remarks
The final evaluation of this programme will consist of a self-evaluation initiated by the programme leader and is foreseen in 2017.