Successful cooperation
Symbiosis of chemistry and material sciences: Cross-linked hydrogels based on nanocellulosic materials
Dr. Jaka Levanič
Published:
Dr. Jaka Levanič
Dr Jaka Levanič is a PhD student at the University of Ljubljana working on nanocellulose-based hydrogels. The subject of his studies was investigations on the chemical structure as well as the rheological and mechanical properties of cross-linked hydrogels. The work carried out in the working group of Prof. Dr. Thomas Heinze and supervised by Dr. Martin Gericke was decisive for the successful completion of his dissertation on the topic of "Development of hydrogels with adjustable mechanical properties based on cellulose nanofibrils", which was awarded summa cum laude. By networking the expertise of both working groups, both chemical and mechanical analyses could be linked and new structure-property relationships derived. The research stay was financially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency and the Slovenian Science Foundation. Important results have been published in the internationally renowned journal Cellulose. (Levanič, J., Gericke, M., Heinze, T. et al. Stable nanocellulose gels prepared by crosslinking of surface charged cellulose nanofibrils with di- and triiodoalkanes. Cellulose 27, 2053–2068 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02947-3External link).