Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering

Upper organisation: Ghent University

Address: Technologiepark 907
9052Zwijnaarde (Gent)
Belgium

Description

Since 1 February 2017 the departments of “Materials Science and Engineering”, “Chemical Engineering and Technical Chemistry” and “Textiles” of Ghent University have merged into one new department : “The Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering” (acronym: MaTCh)

The creation of a structure with almost 250 employees offers many opportunities due to the multidisciplinary character and the presence of high-level fundamental and applied research together with academic education. The knowledge and expertise of this department allow a strong interaction with (external) stakeholders which certainly can lead to a win-win situation for all parties involved.

MaTCh provides a wide range of services to the industry in the different laboratories:

Laboratories of MaTCh are member of the following networks:

ENMat: European Network of Materials Research Centres (www.ENMat.eu)
AUTEX: Association of Universities for Textiles (www.AUTEX.org)
Catalisti: Vlaamse speerpuntcluster voor chemie en kunststoffen (www.catalisti.be)
ERIC: European Research Institute of Catalysis (www.eric-aisbl.eu)
Eurokin: Excellence in commercial reaction kinetics (eurokin.org)
EFCE European Federation of Chemical Engineering (efce.info)
CFK Valley: network of excellence for the entire fiber reinforced composite value chain (cfk-valley.com/en/)
Flam3D: Flanders Additive Manufacturing association (www.flam3d.be/english/)
Sampe: Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (www.sampe.org/)

Contact Person

Stijn Dekeukeleire

Chemical Technology

Stijn.Dekeukeleire@UGent.be

Equipment

Mechanical testing equipment
Modelling software and computer infrastructure
Polymer processing equipment
Additive manufacturing equipment
Pilot plant for steam cracking
2 high-throughput kinetics set-ups
TAP set-up (Temporal Analysis of Products)
10 bench scale set-ups related to:
- Thermochemical processes
- Catalytic processes
- Polymerization processes
(Access to) catalyst characterization infrastructure
GC x GC chromatography (TOF-MS/FID/NCD/SCD)
Bicomponent extruder: semi-industrial coextrusion line
Lisport XL machine for testing durability of artificial turf
Testing and measuring devices for artificial turf and other textile related materials
Physical and chemical testing equipment
Spectrometers: UV/VIS/NIR, FT-IR, FT-Raman
Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Temperature Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimeter (MDSC)
Optical microscope with image processing system
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA)
Fabric Touch Tester
Different electrospinning pilot lines
Dynamic vapor sorption (DVS)
Viscosimeter
Coating line
Several dynamometers (ranges from 210 g to 50 kN)
Abrasion testers (Martindale, Taber, …)
Wear testers
Xenon tester
UV-tester
Thermal resistance testers
Electrostatic charging testers
High Performance Oxygen, Nitrogen and Hydrogen Analyzer
Thermal Desorption Mass Spectrometry
Vickers Hardness measurements
Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscopy
Salt Spray tests (ASTM B117.03)
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
Spark Emission Optical Emission Spectroscopy

Equipment Link: Services MaTCh

Services

The Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering can be contacted for different services:

Testing, such as:

Mechanical, physical and chemical testing of textile and related materials (e.g. fibres, yarns, fabrics, floor coverings, artificial turf, automotive textiles, plastics, wood, composites, …) according to national and international standards and special tests
Thermal analysis of fibre and polymer materials
Microscopy and spectroscopy of fibre and polymer materials
Polymer processing and material characterization
Recycling of polymers and composites
Additive manufacturing: testing and design
Access to experimental facilities (operation by UGent staff)
Product certification for flooring and geotextiles
Classification of textile floor coverings and artificial turf
Laboratory and field tests on artificial turf, accredited by FIFA, FIH and World Rugby
Forensic Analysis
Evaluation hydrogen/material interaction
Hardness tests
Tensile tests on metallic materials
Corrosion tests (ASTM B117.03)

Modelling, such as:

Mechanical modelling of composite materials
Thermal modelling of fibre and polymer materials
Multi-scale modeling of refining and (petro)chemical processes
Modelling and simulation of thermodynamic material properties (Factsage, Chemapp,…)

Prototyping

Consultancy and advice (e.g. on technological innovation) to SMEs, producers, traders and consumers

Trainings/workshops for industry

Services Link: Services MaTCh

Activities

Process industry (processing of novel materials, structures, etc.) Monitoring and control High performance computing / cloud-based simulation services Additive manufacturing High-performance production (flexibility, productivity, precision and zero defect) Intelligent/ sensor-based equipment Electronic and optical functional materials Environmental materials (e.g. recycling, recourse efficiency, less impact, CO2 capture/ utilisation) Industrial materials (incl. catalysts, membranes, adhesives, filters) High performance materials (strong, light weight, resistant) Materials for energy storage and generation Smart and multifunctional materials (incl. phase change, shape memory, self-healing, self-manufacturing) Surface engineering and coatings Polymers, bioplastics Printed/flexible electronics Nanomembranes Nanostructured coatings Nanoparticles Nanowires and tubes 2D materials Intelligent/ sensor-based equipment

Technology Readiness Levels

TRL 3: Experimental proof of concept TRL 4: Technology validated in lab TRL 5: Technology validated in relevant industrial environment TRL 6: Technology demonstrated in relevant industrial environment TRL 7: System prototype demonstration in operational environment

Service for Industry and SMEs

Yes

Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering

Description