‘Manipulating the percolation threshold of carbon nanotubes in polymeric composites’ is the title of the dissertation with which Hermant will be obtaining her PhD degree on 20 May. It is conspicuous, though, that this title is absent on the cover of the book, which only shows a few balls. “I wanted to do things differently and I like a simple design. The balls represent polymeric composites”, explains Hermant, whose research at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry lasted four years. There she developed techniques to reduce the percolation threshold of carbon nanotubes in polymer composites. Thanks to the latex technology that she developed with the Polymer Chemistry group, it is now possible to apply polymer materials in a smarter manner.

“Polymer is an ideal plastic material, because of its light weight and its potential for reuse. Nevertheless its application can be improved considerably”, says Hermant. With her dissertation she is making a significant contribution to a lengthy research process. “In the end we want to realize a super-conductive material that replaces all other materials and is efficient in its production on top of that. My findings have taken the research a step further, but there is a lot of ground to be covered yet.”

Easy living
Hermant liked working at TU/e very much. “There is a pleasant link with the practical situation thanks to the cooperation with the Dutch Polymer Institute. You see a result that is actually being applied.” She was also impressed by the international nature of the campus. “In South Africa you don’t get to meet that many foreign students. Here I met people from countries that I had never heard of.” In the Netherlands you can enjoy easy living, she finds, and Hermant especially likes the mobility here. “You can spend every weekend somewhere else - ideal. You cycle to the station, board a train and before you know it, you’re in another city.” During the past four years she has grabbed every opportunity to discover Europe in her leisure time.

Meanwhile her home country witnessed many changes. In the past few weeks in particular the South African presidential elections were front page news. Hermant is not actively following the commotion. “South Africa has had a bad reputation for many years now. It is alleged to be life-threatening. Once you are there yourself, though, you notice that it is not really that bad at all”, she says. “You feel that the country is changing. It will take some time yet, but things are moving in the right direction.”

She trusts her own view. Travelling helps you put things into perspective, for only your own perception enables you to judge. “Before I came I also heard negative sounds about the Netherlands. Dutchmen were alleged to be cold, but I haven’t noticed that at all. A reputation is made by others; it is a subjective picture. You always need to arrive at your own judgment.”

Next stop
After obtaining her PhD title it will be time for her next step. For the time being, she does not intend to return to South Africa. The next stop is in Australia, where Hermant will be doing a postdoc project. “I haven’t reached my final destination yet, I want to see new things. So I don’t plan too far ahead.” Travelling runs in her blood. Hermant smiles: “As a little girl I dreamed of a job as a writer for National Geographic, but writing is not my thing at all. Discovering countries and cultures is.”/.