Introduction

Today, the circular economy is a central starting point for tackling the current waste problem. While thermoplastic polymers can in principle be recycled in a good way, the recycling of duromers (synthetic resins) typically fails due to their network structure, which prevents them from being reshaped. An alternative concept is the material class of vitrimers (covalently adaptable networks), which can change their morphology through exchange reactions in the network, making a new shape possible.

Main topics to be worked on

The following subtasks are to be completed:

• Literature research on functionalization concepts of lignin and lignin vitrimers
• Modification/functionalization of lignin and subsequent synthesis of corresponding vitrimers
• Characterization of the synthesized vitrimers

Results

The aim of this work is to participate in a research project of the HSZG. The task includes participation in the synthesis and characterization of vitrimers based on lignin.