Dr. Nikolaos E. Zafeiropoulos
Professor of Polymer Engineering (Faculty)
University of Ioannina, School of Engineering
Department of Materials Science Engineering
Laboratory of Polymer Science & Engineering (ΦΕΚ, τ.Β’, 254/10-02-2016)
45 110 Ioannina, Greece
Tel: +30 26510 09002 (office), -09027-9 (laboratory)
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.polymers.gr  

Academic Titles

• Diploma in Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece (1997)
• DIC in Composites, Imperial College London (2001)
• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of London (Imperial College London) (2001)

Educational & Professional Experience

• Professor of Polymer Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, Greece (2019 -)
• Associate Professor of Polymer Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, Greece (2015 - 2019)
• Assistant Professor of Polymer Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, Greece (2008 - 2015)
• Senior Visiting Scientist, Department of Nanostructured Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Germany (2008 - 2014)
• Visiting Professor, Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain (2006 - 2012)
• Visiting Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy (2005 - 2011)
• Staff scientist and Group Leader in the Department of Nanostructured Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Germany (2002 - 2008)
• Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Structure and Mechanics, Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Germany (2001 - 2002)
• Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, University of London, London, UK (2000 - 2001)
• Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials and the Centre for Composite Materials, Imperial College London, University of London, London, UK (1997 - 2000)

Teaching Activities in the Department

• Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• Polymer Engineering
• Polymer Materials Laboratory (V)
• Polymers and Related materials of Controlled
• Polymer Materials – Special Topics
• Structural Studies of Materials with X-ray techniques

Research Interests

• Development of microfocus synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques for studying deformation processes of polymers and polymer based nanomaterials
• Interfaces in composite materials and polymer blends
• Structure-properties relations in nanocomposites and nanostructured materials with particular emphasis on mechanical properties
• Block copolymer based nanohybrids
• Development of eco-friendly composites and eco-friendly nanocomposites
• Functionalisation of nanoparticles and surfaces via ATRP, NMRP and grafting-to methods
• Development of hydrogels in macro, micro and nano dimensions
• Design of drug carriers from polymers
• Recovery of high value added materials from food industry wastes

Representative Publications

• Contributions in books
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos, Engineering the Fibre-Matrix Interface in Natural Fibre Composites, in ‘Properties and Failure Mechanisms of Natural Fibre Composites’, K. Pickering (editor), Woodhead Publishing Limited, June 2008 (ISBN-13978145692674)
• Publications in Peer Reviewed Journals
• a) Structure-Properties relations in polymers and polymer based nanomaterials
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, R. J. Davies, K. Schneider, M. Burghammer, C. Riekel, and M. Stamm, The Relation between Craze Structure and Molecular Weight in PS as revealed by μSAXS experiments, Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 27, 2006, 1689-1694
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, R. J. Davies, S. V. Roth, M. Burghammer, K. Schneider, C. Riekel and M. Stamm, Microfocus X-ray Scattering Scanning Microscopy for Polymer Applications, Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 26, 2005, 1547-1551
• R. J. Davies, N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, K. Schneider, S. V. Roth, M. Burghammer, C. Riekel, J. Kotek, and M. Stamm, The use of Synchrotron X-ray Scattering coupled with in situ Mechanical Testing for studying Deformation and Structural change in Isotactic Polypropylene, Colloid Polymer Science, 282, 2004, 854-866
• K. Schneider, N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, L. Häußler, and M. Stamm, High-Throughput Screening of the Influence of Thermal Treatments on the Mechanical Properties of Semicrystalline Polymers: A Case Study iPP, Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 25, 2004, 355-359
• b) Multifunctional nanomaterials & nanohybrids
• A. Horechyy, B. Nandan, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, D. Jehnichen, M. Göbel, M. Stamm, D. Pospiech, Nanoparticle directed domain orientation in thin ffilms of asymmetric block copolymers, Colloid and Polymer Science, 2014, 2249-2260
• A. Horechyy, B. Nandan, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, P. Formanek, U. Oertel, N. C. Bigall, A. Eychmüller, and M. Stamm, A Step-Wise Approach for Dual Nanoparticle Patterning via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly, Advanced Functional Materials, 23, 2013, 483 -490
• D. Serrano-Ruiz, S. Rangou, A. Avgeropoulos, N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, E. López-Cabarcos and J. Rubio-Retama, Synthesis and Chemical Modification of Magnetic Nanoparticles covalently bound to polystyrene SiCl2-poly(2-vinylpyridine), Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 48, 2010, 1668-1675
• M. Agrawal, A. Pich, S. Gupta, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, and M. Stamm, Synthesis of Novel Ta2O5 Submicrometer Hollow Spheres with Tailored Shell Thickness, Langmuir, 24, 2008, 1013-1018
• c) Interfaces in Composite Materials and Eco-friendly Composites
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos, On the Use of Single Fibre Composites Testing to Characterise the Interface in Natural Fibre Composites, Composite Interfaces, 14, 2007, 807-820
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, G. G. Dijon and C. A. Baillie, A Study of the Effect of Surface Treatments on the Tensile Strength of Flax Fibres; Part I Application of Gaussian Statistics, Composites Part A, 38, 2007, 621-628
• A. Feldman, E. Wachtel, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, K. Schneider, M. Stamm, R. J. Davies, A. Weinberg, G. Marom, In Vivo Microbeam testing of Stiffness of the Transcrystallinity in Nylon 6,6 reinforced by Aramid Fibers, Composites Science and Technology, 66, 2006, 2009-2015
• V. Tserki, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, F. Simon and C. Panayiotou, A Study of the Effect of Acetylation and Propionylation Surface Treatments on Natural Fibres, Composites Part A, 36, 2005, 1110-1118
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, P. E. Vickers, C. A. Baillie and J. F. Watts, An Experimental Investigation of Modified and Unmodified Flax Fibres by means of XPS, ToF-SIMS and FTIR, Journal of Materials Science, 38(19), 2003, 3903-3914
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, C. A. Baillie and J. M. Hodgkinson, Engineering and Characterisation of the Interface in Flax fibre/Polypropylene Composite materials Part II: The Effect of Surface Treatments on the Interface, Composites Part A, 33, 2002, 1183-1188
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, D. R. Williams, C. A. Baillie and F. L. Matthews, Engineering and Characterisation of the Interface in Flax fibre/Polypropylene Composite materials Part I: Development and Investigation of Surface Treatments, Composites Part A, 33, 2002, 1083-1093
• N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, C. A. Baillie and F. L. Matthews, A Study of Transcrystallinity and its Effect on the Interface in Flax Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials, Composites Part A, 32, 2001, 527-545
• d) Development of hydrogels in macro, micro and nano dimensions
• J. Rubio-Retama, N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, C. Serafinelli, R. Rojas-Reynas, B. Voit, E. Lopez Cabarcos, and M. Stamm, Synthesis and Characterization of Thermosensitive PNIPAM Microgels covered with Superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles, Langmuir, 23, 2007, 10280-10285
• M. Agrawal, A. Pich, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, J. Rubio-Retama, and M. Stamm, Thermosensitive Hybrid Microgels loaded with ZnO Nanoparticles, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 18, 2008, 2581-2586
• M. Agrawal, J. Rubio-Retama, N. E. Zafeiropoulos*, N. Gaponik, S. Gupta, V. Cimrova, V. Lesniak, E. López-Cabarcos, S. Tzavalas, R. Rojas-Reyna, A. Eychmüller, and M. Stamm, Switchable Photoluminescent CdTe Nanocrystals by Temperature Responsive Microgels, Langmuir, 24, 2008, 9820-9824
• J. Rubio-Retama, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, B. Frick, T. Seydel, and E. López-Cabarcos, Investigation of the Relationship between Hydrogen-Bonds and Macroscopic Properties in hybrid core-shell γ-Fe2O3-PNIPAM-AAS Microgels, Langmuir, 26, 2010, 7101-7106