Müller's Research Group

Research activities

The Müller group develops functional materials for current and future electronics and energy technologies. Our research sits at the crossroads of polymer science, organic electronics, materials science and energy technology. We work with plastics, fibres, and molecular materials that can conduct, generate and store electricity. A further important research direction is the sustainable use and reuse of polymers and plastics.

We are interested in materials ranging from organic semiconductors and conductive plastics to polyolefins. By tailoring molecular structure, processing and doping we create materials with optimal rheological, mechanical, electrical and electrochemical properties. This enables new opportunities for wearable electronics and bioelectronics as well as energy harvesting, transport and storage technologies.

Recent examples of our research include:

• A recipe for the benign and scalable synthesis of conjugated polymers for bioelectronics: 

  Pioneering recipe for conductive plastics – paves the way for your body to go online (2025)

• The discovery that the configurational entropy of multi-component mixtures leads to highly stable molecular glasses:

  Molecular mixing creates super stable glass (2021)

• A new concept that allows to double the doping efficiency of organic semiconductors:

  Breakthrough in organic electronics (2019)

• Thermoelectric and piezoelectric textiles facilitate energy generation by harvesting body heat or motion:

  The silk thread that can turn clothes into charging stations (2024)

  Huge potential for cellulose thread in electronic textiles (2021)

  Electric textile lights a lamp when stretched (2018)

• Conjugated polymers are shown to function as conductivity-reducing additives for high-voltage insulation:

  New material improves electricity transport (2021)

Lab facilities

Our team combines expertise in polymer synthesis and characterization, polymer processing and organic electronics. State-of-the-art facilities are available at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and across Chalmers.

We can assist with a wide range of techniques including structural analysis (NMR), thermal analysis (DSC, TGA, FSC), rheology, mechanical analysis (DMTA, tensile testing, nanoindentation), optical spectroscopy (UV-vis, FTIR) as well as electrical and electrochemical characterization.