INT-26029- INTERNSHIP IN SUSTAINABLE POLYMER SYNTHESIS. REACTIVE EXTRUSION OF NON-ISOCYANATE POLYMERS.

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a leading Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) that drives innovation for the economy and society in Luxembourg and beyond. With cutting-edge expertise in Natural, Built, Industrial environments, Space, AI, Security and defence technologies. LIST bridges scientific excellence and applied research to design solutions that address real-world challenges and create positive impact.

Do you want to know more about LIST? Check our website: https://www.list.lu/

Your LIST benefits

• An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and independent research projects
• Sustainable by design, empowering our belief that we play an essential role in paving the way to a green society
• Innovative infrastructures and exceptional labs occupying more than 5,000 square metres, including innovations in all that we do
• An environment encouraging curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas
• Personalized learning programme to foster our staff’s soft and technical skills
• Multicultural and international work environment with more than 60 nationalities represented in our workforce
• Diverse and inclusive work environment empowering our people to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions
• Gender-friendly environment with multiple actions to attract, develop and retain women in science
• 32 days’ paid annual leave, 11 public holidays, 13-month salary, statutory health insurance
• Flexible working hours, home working policy (not remote) and access to Digital lunch vouchers

Internship contract | Belval | 6 Months

Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us 

How will you contribute?

Context:

• Polyurethane (PU) polymers are widely used due to their versatility and high performance. However, their synthesis traditionally involves toxic isocyanates and relies on petroleum-derived monomers, raising significant health and environmental concerns.
• Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) have emerged as safer and more sustainable alternatives, typically based on the polyaddition of cyclic carbonates and amines. These systems not only eliminate the use of isocyanates but also exhibit improved hydrolytic and chemical resistance, making them promising candidates for bio-based, environmentally friendly materials.
• At the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), a novel family of fast-polymerizing polyhydroxyurethane (PHU) materials has been developed thanks to innovative monomers.
• In this context, the proposed internship will focus on gaining a deeper kinetic and mechanistic understanding of these reactions and potentially unlocking new strategies for optimizing them.

Internship objectives:

• Synthesize new building blocks based on catechol moieties
• Graft them to obtain linear macro-monomers processable in the melt
• Optimization of polymerization in solvent and in bulk
• Evaluate the reaction kinetics of new monomers.
• Identify potential rate-limiting steps in the mechanism.

Planned tasks:

• Synthesize novel catechol-based building blocks and characterize their chemical structure.
• Graft the synthesized building blocks onto suitable backbones to obtain linear macro-monomers processable in the melt.
• Optimize the polymerization conditions in both solution and bulk by investigating the influence of parameters such as temperature, catalyst, concentration, and reaction medium.
• Monitor the polymerization reaction by time-resolved NMR spectroscopy under different experimental conditions to determine reaction kinetics.
• Complement kinetic investigations with FTIR spectroscopy to follow the consumption of reactive groups and the formation of polyhydroxyurethane networks.
• Analyze kinetic data using appropriate reaction models to determine reaction orders, apparent rate constants, and activation energies.
• Investigate the reaction mechanism by identifying possible rate-limiting steps and evaluating the influence of monomer structure on polymerization behavior.
• Correlate polymerization conditions with the structural and physicochemical properties of the obtained PHU materials.

Techniques and tools:

• Organic synthesis of catechol-based monomers and macro-monomers.
• Standard wet chemistry techniques for monomer synthesis, purification, and functionalization.
• Polymer synthesis in solution and bulk (melt polymerization).
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H, ¹³C NMR) spectroscopy for structural characterization and kinetic monitoring.
• Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for in situ monitoring of functional group conversion.
• Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC/SEC) for molecular weight determination (if available).
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) for thermal characterization of the synthesized polymers (if part of the project).
• Kinetic data analysis and modelling to extract reaction parameters and elucidate polymerization mechanisms.

Is Your profile described below? Are you our future colleague? Apply now!

Education

• Cursus: be a last year undergraduate student (Master 2) in Organic Chemistry or Polymer Engineering and Science (including processing)

The candidate should:

• Be passionate about chemistry and spectroscopy.
• Have a strong desire to perform experimental research in a lab environment.
• Display a clear commitment to safe working practices.
• Communicate effectively and work well with others.
• Knowledge of NMR, FTIR and reaction mechanism.
• Previous experience with synthesis would be an asset.

Language skills

• Fluency in English (and French), both oral and written. Other relevant languages are an asset.