Description of the thesis topic

Societal and environmental challenges call for more rational methods of synthesizing polymer materials, as well as more virtuous management of their end-of-life, while guaranteeing optimum performance in the intended application. Polyethylene (PE) is the most widely used and economical engineering thermoplastic, with worldwide production of over 150 million tons a year. PE is marketed in a variety of commercial grades used in diverse applications (packaging, automotive parts, medical devices, etc.). However, PE is not easily recyclable by chemical means, due to the robustness of its constitutive bonds.
The aim of this thesis project is to develop new methodologies for chemically modifying PE, under relatively mild conditions, by installing a variety of functional groups in lateral positions, or degradable motifs in its backbone. In this way, rather than recycling PE by reverting to the basic monomer, the aim is to add value to PE grades (“upcycling”). By varying the degree of substitution, the properties of PEs derived in this way should be able to be manipulated in a modular way, offering new possibilities for broadening PE's property profile. This program lies at the interface of molecular chemistry, concerning the study of C-H bond activation, and macromolecular synthesis aiming at the precise chemical post-modification of PE to overcome the current limitations of PE chemical recycling.
The project involves the Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques (LCPO) and the Institut des Sciences Moléculaires (ISM), both located in Bordeaux, with D. Taton and Y. Landais as thesis supervisors.

Work Context

The Laboratory of Organic Polymer Chemistry (LCPO) is a joint research unit attached to the CNRS, the University of Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Polytechnic Institute (http://www.lcpo.fr). The LCPO is composed of 4 research teams and includes about 150 people, including about 50 permanent staff.
With more than 30 years of experience in polymer chemistry, the LCPO's research aims at :
- develop innovative methodologies for the precision synthesis of polymers, using biomimetic and/or green chemistry approaches
- develop functional polymeric materials by macromolecular engineering and self-assembly, particularly in the fields of renewable materials, health and energy
- to establish permanent links with the socio-economic world.
The candidate recruited will be under the supervision of Daniel Taton within Team 1 of the LCPO. He/she will work within the framework of the ANR “CYCLO-PE” project, coordinated by Prof. Daniel Taton of the LCPO in Bordeaux. This thesis project will be carried out in close collaboration with Pr. Yannick Landais of the ISM Laboratory in Bordeaux.
He/she will hold a Master's degree or an engineering diploma, preferably with expertise in Polymer Science.

Constraints and risks

Activities
Molecular synthesis of functionalizing agents
Functionalization reaction on molecular model substrates
Polymer synthesis by chemical post-modification
Physico-chemical characterization of polymeric materials at different scales
Writing of reports and articles
Skills
Molecular chemistry skills.
Macromolecular synthesis skills.
Physicochemistry of molecular and macromolecular compounds.
Knowledge of polymer characterization techniques (SEC, DSC, NMR, etc.).