​​Meet MATTHEW
A hard-working nerd with a ‘never give up’ attitude who spends most of his time in the lab or
reading scientific literature to enhance my knowledge. Although it is important to be passionate
about your research, I found that it is equally important to find ways that alleviate the immense
stress that comes with it. My main pastimes are gaming on my PlayStation, hiking, cycling,
football, travelling and going out for a bite and/or for a ‘few’ drinks with friends.
A novel approach to synthesise Polyurethane Foams with a Negative Poisson's Ratio
Polyurethane (PU) foams are cellular materials that are used in countless applications; such as
cushioning, mattresses, sports protective equipment, filtration systems and automotive &
aircraft panel lining. Tweaking of the original cellular structure of PU foams into a buckled &
convoluted cellular structure will make the foam amenable to exhibit Auxetic behaviour.
Auxetic materials are characterised by a negative Poisson’s ratio, i.e. get thinner when
compressed and get fatter when stretched. Such phenomenal behaviour improves foam
performance in pressure distribution, impact protection and overall support & comfort. In spite
of these advantageous properties, Auxetic PU foams are not currently sold in the mass market
as the existing methods to manufacture them are expensive, laborious, involve numerous steps
and can only produce small samples. The focus of my Ph.D. research project is to invent and
develop a novel method to produce Auxetic PU foams via a direct, one-step approach that
eliminates the issues faced with the existing methods.
The Next step…
My Ph.D. project is being done in collaboration with Smart Materials LTD. Our collective goal
is to commence industrial scale production of Auxetic PU foams with our novel, patent-
pending method. Successful scale-up will allow Auxetic foam to be used in the medical,
automotive and aerospace industries, as well as in furniture and sports protective equipment.