dr. I. Sîretanu (Igor)

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I am Igor Siretanu, Assistant Professor in the Physics of Complex Fluids Group within the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Research Pursuits

My current research is multidisciplinary and focuses on understanding solid-liquid interfacial phenomena and functionalizing surfaces at microscopic scales to control macroscopic behaviors, such as wetting, adsorption/desorption, transport and diffusion, colloidal interactions, CO₂ capture and sequestration, and catalytic activity. I am particularly passionate about atomic force microscopy (AFM) and other surface-sensitive techniques. I also work on developing in situ and operando microscopy methods to quantify nanoscale surface properties, including atomic-level surface structure, surface charge, charge regulation in electrical double layers, ion and organic molecule adsorption, and the organization of water and ions at charged solid/electrolyte interfaces, with a particular focus on complex oxides, catalysts, semiconductors, and minerals. My research includes the direct measurement of surface forces—both quasistatic and dynamic (DLVO and non-DLVO forces, adhesion, friction, etc.). These insights are crucial for understanding the stability, reactivity, and functionality of materials in applications such as electrocatalysis, energy conversion, CO₂ capture and sequestration, and environmental technologies.

My Research Chronicles

After completing a bachelor’s degree in theoretical physics at Moldova State University, I began my experimental research career by earning a master’s degree in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of fullerenes and other carbon-based materials from the same institution in 2007.

I continued my studies at the Ecole Doctorale des Sciences Chimiques, Université Bordeaux 1, where I obtained my PhD in 2011. My doctoral research, supervised by Prof. Dr. Carlos Drummond (CRPP) and Prof. Dr. Eric Papon (LCPO), focused on polymer physics, specifically the glass transition in polymer films and the controlled nanostructuring of glassy and amorphous polymer films through variations in electrolyte composition and gas content in liquids. Using atomic force microscopy, the Surface Forces Apparatus, ellipsometry, and other surface characterization tools, I explored the nanoscale behavior and dynamical heterogeneity of polymer films, examining how localized regions within these films exhibit variable mobility and responses both below and near the glass transition temperature.

In March 2012, I joined the Physics of Complex Fluids (PCF) group at the University of Twente as a postdoctoral researcher. From 2015 to 2019, I served as Project Leader for the NWO Industrial Partnership Program 'Rock on a Chip,' where I developed AFM-based techniques to quantify nanoscale properties at solid-liquid interfaces, including surface charge and the adsorption of ions and organic molecules on clays and mineral nanoparticles. Since 2019, I have been an Assistant Professor in the Physics of Complex Fluids Group within the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Twente.

Expertise

• Chemistry

  • Surface
  • Ion
  • Atomic Force Microscopy
  • Wetting
  • Adsorption

• Material Science

  • Particle
  • Surface Charge
  • Contact Angle

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Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room ME159
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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