Topics
Effects of pore water chemistry on clay/soil properties such as swelling, stress-strain behaviour and hydraulic conductivity including soil improvement in geotechnical applications and landslide stabilization
- Chemically enhanced drainage in landslide stabilization
- (In-situ) Swelling inhibition of expansive soils
- Optimization of soil conditioning for clay-polymer mixtures
- Bentonite suspensions in geotechnical applications (e.g. tunnelling)
Effects of chemical and physical alteration of clay minerals on macroscopic properties: Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in clayey barrier systems in conditions in radioactive waste repository
- Physical influence (temperature, pressure, and irradiation) on the crystal structure and properties of minerals
- Chemical influence (interaction with metal, cement, and rock)
(Clay) mineral – organic matter (OM) interaction
- Interaction at a molecule-specific and mineral-specific level
- Special interactions with different OM resulting in OM fractionation and preferential preservation
- Effects on contamination uptake and transport
- Mineral coating and influence on mechanical behaviour of (weathered) soils
Surface characteristics of clay minerals (clay minerals as nanoparticles, microstructure of aggregates, adsorption behaviour)
- Intercalation and adsorption of organic compounds on clays and clay minerals
- Layered minerals in polymer composites
- Interaction of C-based nanomaterials (CBN) with clay minerals
- Biological interactions
Mineral alteration during weathering processes in the "Critical Zone" in alpine and permafrost regions
- Analysis of mineral transformation processes
- Continuous proximal sensing and geochemical characterization
- Structural properties of rocks and soils (e.g. porosity)
- Mineral-microbe interactions
Developments in quantitative analysis of physicochemical parameters of (clay) minerals and mineral assemblages
- Diagnostic intercalations in qualitative and quantitative phase analysis
- Measurement of cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cations