Advanced Macromolecular Chemistry: Biopolymers Synthesis, Modification and Characterization

Full course description

Different polymerization mechanisms: radical polymerization, ionic polymerization, coordinative polymerization, ringopening polymerization, step growth polymerizations and also polymer modification; - Copolymers and copolymerization curves; - Polymerization techniques: bulk, solution, dispersion, emulsion; - Polymer architectures: linear, block copolymer, graft copolymer, star shaped polymers, supramolecular polymers; - Polymer classes and their application fields: thermoplasts and thermosets; - Polymers in solution and phase separation; - Molecular weight determination of polymers: gel permeation chromatography with different detectors, viscometry, …; - Application of the knowledge on biobased polymers. Description of skills training during the course: - Lab skills on polymer synthesis and molecular characterization; - Presentations skills; - Understanding publications in the field and discuss about it; - Student can search relevant information in literature and on Scifinder; - Analyze and solve problems in the field; - Student is able to choose the most appropriate polymer mechanism to make the desired polymers; - Student can choose the right molecular characterization technique(s) for the polymer under consideration; - Critical evaluation of publications and lab results.