Student paper

Production Technologies for New Classes of Plastics: Vitrimers

Bachelor’s thesis or master’s thesis

Material design of epoxy-based vitimers
Stuwi-Produktionstechnologien für neue Kunststoffklassen Vitrimere© IKV
Vitrimers: thermosets with a thermoplastic melting point, which allows the cured material to be shaped or functionalised (left).

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 vitrimer hardener and characterize the resulting properties of the components.

About the working group:

In the Fiber-Reinforced Plastics Working Group, we focus, among other things, on material-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.

Your tasks:

Review of the Literature on Epoxy-Based Vitrimers Further Investigations into the Degree of Curing Achieved
Identification of a resin system adapted to the RTM process Testing of post-curing processing steps based on the vitrimeric properties
Characterization of the Reaction Process Using DSC
Manufacture of Fiber-Reinforced and Unreinforced Test Specimens
Characterization of the Mechanical and Thermomechanical Performance of the Components

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!