FTE) (V24.0463)
Job descriptionhttps: // www. nwo.nl/en/news/ten-projects-awarded-to-make-plastics-circular
Polyolefins play a crucial role in our daily life. They are lightweight, cheap and food contact approved, which makes them materials of choice for – often single-use – packaging applications and other fast moving consumer goods. Consequently, vast and ever-increasing amounts of polyolefin waste are being produced annually. Driven by the environmental awareness concerning the pollution of polymer waste and the carbon footprint of single use plastics, a growing amount of these polyolefins ends up in recycle streams rather than being landfilled or incinerated. However, polyolefins are inherently difficult to recycle. Mechanical recycling has the lowest energy footprint but requires rather pure waste streams and inevitably leads to inferior material properties after processing. Chemical recycling is complicated by the lack of weak linkages in the polyolefin chain.
The PhD Project In this PhD project we propose a conceptionally novel approach for converting polyolefin waste into high added value materials by producing self-assembling polyolefin network materials, well-recyclable polyolefinic materials with versatile and tunable properties that potentially even outperform existing polyolefins. The idea is based on the finding that polar functional groups in functionalized polyolefins self-assemble into polar domains in the apolar polyolefin matrix, providing significant mechanical strength to the system,1,2 and an improved adhesion to polar substrates. The broad project scope entails polymer synthesis, material science and application testing. The PhD candidate working on this project will be embedded in the Chemical Product Technology group within the ENTEG institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, will work under the supervision of Prof. P. Raffa (Smart and Sustainable Polymeric Products), and Dr. D. Parisi (Rheology of Complex Polymeric and Colloidal Systems), and in collaboration with the company SABIC (Prof. R. Duchateau), and the Gdansk University of Technology (Prof. L. Jasinska-Walc). 1. https: // doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140615 2. https: // pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ma0107253
Organization Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high- quality teaching and research. Its 27,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.
QualificationsWe offer you, following the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:
Date of employment: as soon as possible.
ApplicationAre you interested in this position and meet the qualification criteria? If yes, your application should include:
The position remains open until a suitable candidate is found.
The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https: // www. rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and- strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https: // www. nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https: // euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.
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