Walter Focke is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Institute of Applied Materials at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. His research groups are active in the field of materials science and engineering. They address the following topics.
a) The clay and polymer additive technology research is targeted towards functional applications in polymers in order to improve thermo-oxidative stability and flame retardancy of polymers, and controlled release of insecticides, insect repellents and attractants.
b) In the field of energetic materials, the group successfully developed a range of ‘green’ compositions for use as time delays and initiating compositions in chemical mine detonators.
c) Activities targeting malaria vector control focus on controlled delivery of insect repellents and insecticides. Successes include:
- A particle-stabilized insecticide for indoor residual spray that outlasted DDT in laboratory trials
- A patented low-cost wall lining that has just successfully completed a five-year field trial in the Limpopo province
- Mosquito-repellent textiles based on bicomponent fibers that are currently in an industrial scale-up trial phase
- A particularly effective topical mosquito repellent blend that also kills insects
