Missions

This position is in the framework of a « Grand Programme de Recherche » from the University of Bordeaux which is named Post-Petroleum Materials (PPM).
Due to the increasing production of plastic materials and concomitant increase of wastes, over the last decade, polymer recycling has emerged as a crucial area of research and innovation. Especially, chemical recycling has attracted a lot of attention as it affords the recovery of monomers or high value-added chemicals from plastic waste. The Photo-Unlink project aims to prepare photodegradable vinyl-based polymer networks such as polystyrenes and polymethacrylates through the design of cross-linkers that enable radical generation and further scission of the polymer networks into small linear oligomers and/or monomers under irradiation. As a result, through this project, the recyclability of the starting polymer networks will be greatly improved, as such highly cross-linked materials are generally difficult to valorize except from incineration or grinding.

Activities

- Cross-linker syntheses
- Molecular characterizations (RMN, IR, GC…)
- Radical polymerization
- Polymer characterization by classical techniques such as IR, TGA, DSC
- Polymer degradation and analyses of the degradation products

Skills

- Mandatory competences in molecular and macromolecular syntheses
- Mandatory knowledge in common method for chemical characterization of small molecules and polymers

Work Context

The Laboratory of Chemistry of Organic Polymers (LCPO) is a joint research unit affiliated to the CNRS, the University of Bordeaux and the Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux (http://www.lcpo.fr). The LCPO is organized into 4 research teams with a total strength of nearly 150 people, including about 50 permanent staff.

With over 30 years of expertise in polymer chemistry, researches at LCPO aim at:
- developing innovative methodologies for precision synthesis of polymers, using in particular biomimetic and/or green chemistry pathways
- designing functional polymer materials by macromolecular engineering and self-assembly, in the fields of renewable materials, health and energy
- establishing strong links with the socio-economy world.
The work of the recruited agent will be carried out in team 1 of the LCPO
Team 1 entitled "Catalysts and Polymerization Engineering" is headed by Frédéric Peruch. The team develops alternative synthetic strategies to "tailor-made" polymers with a special emphasis on:
- the design of activation or catalysis systems for highly selective polymerization reactions
- the development of recyclable and bio-inspired catalytic nanoreactors operating in various media, including in water
- the engineering of polymers, nanoparticles or nanostructures for targeted functions and applications.
The project will be supervised by Audrey Llevot (Assistant professor at Bordeaux INP) and Philippe Hermange (ISM) (Assistant professor at the University of Bordeaux).
The scientific production will be valorized through publications in high impact journals.

Constraints and risks

No specific constrain and risk

Additional Information

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