College of Science & Engineering

School/College	Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering
Email	georgina.zimbitas@strath.ac.uk
Telephone	0141 574 5310
Twitter	@zimbitas

Research vision

Current manufacturing avenues include production of unsustainable amounts of waste with major detrimental repercussions on the environment.  My aim is to conduct impactful research into thin films, with the vision being to address unanswered questions and create robust products via use of more environmentally-friendly chemicals and techniques.

Studies of films have led to such improvements as lowering detection limits for sensors and the enhancement of membrane efficiency. I am interested in pursuing the production of greener and cheaper film materials from water-based polymers, while maintaining product efficiency. Specifically, I would like to research the behaviour and characteristics of these polymer films as they are of great significance, being employed in diverse applications spanning a variety of scientific fields and purposes including agriculture, food science, pharmaceuticals, drilling fluids, and household & personal care products industries (used as emulsion stabilisers, controlled-release coatings, etc.).

In my research career I have sought out to gain all-round knowledge in my fields of interest, which are Materials Science and Interfacial Chemistry. To that end I have conducted experimental research under a whole range of extreme conditions, from Ultra High Vacuum to Furnace Oxidation. In addition, I have performed theoretical studies, e.g. I have completed a script that successfully predicted internal oxidation of binary alloys, that is now being used by my former industrial partners. My current main project is part of SymBIM, aimed at facilitating the larger-scale manufacturing of tunable nanomaterials via use of a “greener” synthetic approach.

Expectations from collaboration

My experience in multidisciplinary work means I will be actively pursuing collaborations with departments of different scientific disciplines. Industrial applications of findings are the ultimate goal, and as such Industry collaborations are of significance. I would like to work with Chemists and Physicists with respect to use of novel techniques to create and characterise the thin polymer films, both on a macro and micro scale. Modelling of film/molecule behaviours are also of interest. Chemical and Materials Engineers can also help with the above, but can also contribute to scale-up of findings. Industrial partners are of interest for applications and testing.

To summarise, people interested in polymer-based aqueous thin films that are willing to provide ideas input, alternative equipment usage, funding, and any form of innovation, are welcomed!

Key Skills

• Surface Science,
• Materials Science,
• Nanomaterials,
• Thin Films,
• Microscopy (optical, SEM, etc.),
• Spectroscopy (DLS, NTA, SAXS, etc.),
• Particle Size Distribution,
• Micromanipulation Techniques,
• Imaging (High Res-Speed Camera),
• Mixing (Couette flow, Kemutex, etc),
• Rheology,
• Tensiometry,
• Interferometry,
• DSC,
• NMR,
• μCT Xray Scan,
• UHV chamber,
• Oxidation Furnace,
• Foam Column.
• Numerical Simulations (Matlab, PDEs, FDM, etc)

 

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First published: 7 May 2019