Sofie Verschraegen
Research Interests
In view of enhancing material performance, understanding how molecular level phenomena impact material properties is crucial. My research aims to bridge the molecular and material scale of silica for nanofibrous membranes and dielectric applications.
The most common synthesis route to produce silica is sol-gel synthesis, during which small precursor molecules react to form large crosslinked network structures. This complicated process can be followed in time by advanced kinetic modeling tools and experimental techniques such as 29Si NMR. When the desired degree of crosslinking is achieved, the resulting silica sol can be processed in various ways such as electrospinning to produce nanofibrous membranes, or spin coating to produce thin films for dielectric applications. The material properties will depend on the synthesis and processing parameters, explaining the need to unravel this relationship for material tuning.
Awards
- Fulbright scholarship (2022-2023)
- Belgian American Educational Foundation fellowship (2022-2023)
- SofinaBoël fellowship (2022-2023)
- Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) fellowship (2021-2025)
- Jozef Plateau prize for best master’s thesis (2021)
Publications
S. Verschraegen, E. Loccufier, L. De Keer, P.H.M. Van Steenberge, K. De Buysser, K. De Clerck, D.R. D’hooge (2023). A dedicated protocol to capture orthosilicate crosslinking kinetics and Arrhenius parameters. Chemical Engineering Journal volume 461, 141701, ISSN 1385-8947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.141701.
Conference Proceedings
S. Verschraegen, K. De Buysser, D. D’hooge, K. De Clerck (2022). Electrospinning of nanofibers: how the sol viscosity influences the Taylor cone. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Research Symposium, poster presentation
Education
PhD in materials engineering, Ghent University (1 year visiting student researcher at Stanford), in progress
M.S. with the highest distinction in sustainable materials engineering, Ghent University (6 months visiting student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology), 2020
B.S. in chemical engineering and material science, Ghent University, 2018