Student paper

New Possibilities with a New Class of Plastics: Vitrimere

Project work or research laboratory

Material design of epoxy-based vitimers
Stuwi-Vitrimer Proben© IKV
Vitrimers: thermosetting resins with a thermoplastic melting point, which allows them to be moulded or knotted.

Topic of the work:

Vitrimers are a completely new type of plastic that cross-link thermoset but behave thermoplastically above a certain temperature. This behavior makes Vitrimere a unique and innovative material in the plastics industry. New materials open up new possibilities in manufacturing. This means that the processing conditions and the material system—consisting of an epoxy and a vitrimeric hardener—are only partially known. In this project, you will process various epoxy resins using the vitrimeric hardener and characterize the processing conditions through thermal analysis.

About the working group:

In the working group, we focus, among other things, on materials-related topics in the areas of production, recycling, and, most recently, Vitrimere. You’ll be integrated into a working group here and will have the opportunity to gain your first experience with academic work alongside other students.

These could be your tasks:

Literature Review on Epoxy-Based Vitrimers Literature Review on Epoxy-Based Vitrimers
Identification of a Resin System Identification of Three Resin Systems
Characterization of the Reaction Process Using DSC Characterization of the Reaction Process Using DSC
Preparation of Test Specimens Preparation of Fiber-Reinforced and Unreinforced Test Specimens
Characterization of Manufacturing Conditions
Development of a guide for the production of test specimens using vitrimers

These are your benefits:

  • Work in a young, motivated team
  • Co-design of current research projects
  • Clearly defined task
  • Very fast processing
  • Immediate start possible

Your profile:

  • Technical or scientific degree (e.g. mechanical engineering, industrial engineering specializing in mechanical engineering, CES, materials science)
  • Dealing with literature databases
  • Organised and independent work

If you are interested in a student research project at IKV and in this task, please contact me by e-mail, telephone or in person at IKV. We agree on the exact scope of content and schedule individually. I look forward to your message!