The Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science (FYSC) research group is part of the Materials and Chemistry (MACH) department of the Faculty of Engineering of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and conducts both fundamental and applied research in the field of materials sciences. FYSC’s polymer research activities are focused on gaining insight in the molecular and supramolecular structure-processing-property relations in synthetic, bio-based, and natural polymers for developing sustainable materials with improved performance. A comprehensive collection of physicochemical analytical techniques and characterization procedures is available for this purpose, centred around advanced thermal analysis instrumentation. FYSC is at the forefront of the development of new thermal analysis methods to study polymer-based materials, often using prototype or in-house developed instrumentation. Through its characterization expertise, FYSC is involved in the design of novel macromolecular materials, either combined with in-house polymer synthesis or in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, for applications in advanced polymeric systems, coatings, composites, pharmaceuticals, automotive, offshore… The FYSC group uniquely excels in studying and understanding the relation between the structure formation and the resulting properties of the studied materials, and the effect of processing of these materials on the formed structure and properties. The FYSC research activities can be divided into three main pillars: - Thermophysical and chemical characterization of polymers - Renewable energy materials - Non-traditional cements