RISE Internship Offer:

Sustainable and Recyclable Dynamic Polymer Networks for Nanocomposite Applications

Bio-based polymer materials derived from abundant biomass represent a promising class for applications
in high-performance scenarios and for the movement towards greener and more sustainable materials.[1]
Considering the circularity of polymeric materials, in 2021 less than 10% of plastics were recycled more
than once.[2] Recycling in polymer life cycles remains challenging because of heterogeneity of waste
streams and thermodynamics. This challenge can be approached by applying circularity as a part of the
macromolecular design.[3] In 2011, Leibler and co-workers established a new class of thermoreversible
polymer materials called “vitrimers”, which belong to the class of so-called associative covalent adaptable
networks (CANs), displayed in Scheme 1.[4,5]

Scheme 1: Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) represent permanent and dynamic polymer networks at the same
time. These cross-linked materials merge the favorable properties of classical thermosets and thermoplastics.

These materials are characterized by a permanent network with thermally-induced bond exchange
reactions upon heating. They combine the “classic” polymer classes of thermosets and thermoplastics
with new unique properties. For example, these polymer materials feature self-healing, shape-
programming, shape-memory, and reprocessing. Scheme 2 shows a vitrimer material recently developed
in our group which can be recycled and reshaped without a change in the materials’ properties.[6]

Scheme 2: Demonstration of reprocessing of a Schiff base vitrimer film by consecutive grinding and heat compression
molding, generating a homogeneous, bubble-free recycled film.

The research field of vitrimers and CANs offers new perspectives for more sustainable and
environmentally friendly recyclable materials with a broad range of thermomechanical properties as well
as self-healing and shape-memory properties. Using these unique properties can be useful for applications
like hierarchical nanocomposite materials.[7-10]

Description of the Internship Offer:

In this internship, you will discover the exciting world of vitrimers and covalent adaptable networks and
be a part of the development team for new recyclable polymer materials. We will focus on combining
plant-based acids and polyols to produce vitrimers based on the transesterification reaction. This project
will include the synthesis and analysis of the materials. You will learn a lot about polymers and how we
can influence the properties of the final material by tweaking tiny adjusting screws in the synthesis. We
will also look at typical characterization methods of polymers and organic monomers. Prior knowledge in
the field of polymers is not required, but you should bring motivation and initiative.

The group:

Our working group is located at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of

the University of Hamburg and is mainly focusing on vitrimers,
thermoreversible networks, block copolymers, and nanocomposite
materials. In our laboratory we feature modern synthetic procedures,
polymer analytics, and in-house measurement services. Currently, we
are three PhD students focusing on thermoreversible networks. We
would be delighted if you join our “vitrimer-gang” and contribute your
knowledge and expertise to our field of research.

The city of Hamburg:

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany with almost 2 million inhabitants and is located in the
north of Germany on the beautiful waters of the Elbe and Alster. The city’s scene and nightlife are known
all over the world and offer much to discover. There are nineteen universities are located in Hamburg with
a total of around 100.000 students. The University of Hamburg is located right in the city center near the
waterfront, beautiful parks and many opportunities for swimming, cycling, and a lot of different options
to enjoy life after work and at the weekend.

Contact:

Florian C. Klein
Group of Prof. Dr. Volker Abetz
University of Hamburg
Grindelallee 117
20146 Hamburg
Tel: +49 (0)40 42838 2176
Mail: florian.klein-1@uni-hamburg.de

[1] M. A. Lucherelli, A. Duval, L. Avérous, Prog. Polym. Sci. 2022, 127, 101515.
[2] L. T. J. Korley, T. H. Epps, B. A. Helms, A. J. Ryan, Science 2021, 373, 66-69.
[3] T. Vidil, A. Llevot, Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2022, 2100494.
[4] D. Montarnal, M. Capelot, F. Tournilhac, L. Leibler, Science 2011, 334, 965-968.
[5] J. M. Winne, L. Leibler, F. E. Du Prez, Polym. Chem. 2019, 10, 6091-6108.
[6] F. C. Klein, M. Vogt, V. Abetz, Macromol. Mater. Eng. 2023, 2300187.
[7] P. Haida, G. Signorato, V. Abetz, Polym. Chem. 2022, 13, 946-958.
[8] S. Weerathaworn, V. Abetz, Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2022.
[9] P. Haida, S. Chirachanchai, V. Abetz, ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2023.
[10] B. F. Winhard, P. Haida, A. Plunkett, J. Katz, B. Domènech, V. Abetz, K. P. Furlan, G. A. Schneider, Addit. Manuf. 2023, 77.