RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

66 POLYMER PERFORMANCE MATERIALS Program leader/section leader Prof.dr. Z. (Željko) Tomović Scientific staff FTE Full professor Prof.dr. Z. (Željko) Tomović ( since 06-2020 ) 1 Assistant professor Dr. F.R. (Fabian) Eisenreich ( since 02-2022 ) 1 Mission The mission of the Polymer Performance Materials group is to provide excellent education to young students and perform research at the frontiers of scientific and technological knowledge in the field of macromolecular chemistry and polymer materials. Our research program focuses on polymer synthesis, including the development of new polymerization strategies and the creation of well-defined or novel polymeric structures that can be used in the design of innovative, sustainable, functional polymeric materials and their industrially relevant applications. The design strategies are guided by structure-property relationship studies to advance the technological use of novel macromolecular materials as well as to enhance fundamental knowledge on polymer science. At Polymer Performance Materials, we strive to shape young minds to instill in them the essence of academic research and inspire them to excel in future independent scientific research careers (be it in academia or in industry) with a mission to provide a lasting impact on the society we live in. Research themes Polymer Performance Materials is a new group at TU/e. The group aims to develop new fundamental concepts to design improved and novel polymers with desiredmaterial properties, as well as circular polymer materials. Our research program combines polymer synthesis with detailed molecular, morphological and property characterization to expand our knowledge base of fundamental polymer science and advance new technologies. It also includes the development of novel synthetic methodology that allows the conversion of commodity plastics and new polymers into recyclable materials. Our interests and activities are interdisciplinary, encourage collaborations between industry and academia and range from the synthesis of new monomers and polymers to polymer processing and the technological exploitation of materials with improved or novel properties. The research activities are organized in the following themes: 1. Novel high-performance polyurethanes Polyurethane (PU) is one of the most versatile polymers and appears in an astonishing variety of forms and plays a vital role in many industries. Although there are already many different PU materials available, a further improvement of the properties (e.g., thermal stability, intrinsic flame-retardancy, retention of mechanical properties at elevated temperatures) and the development of new functional PU materials will make it suitable for an increased number of applications. In this theme, the design, synthesis and characterization of novel polyurethanes containing well-defined high-performance structural motifs and hydrogen- bonding groups are studied. Various synthetic methods are used for the preparation of such materials, including the development of new polymerization strategies for the creation of novel polymeric structures. Additionally, the self-assembly and morphology of the novel polyurethanes are studied and the full characterization of the properties of the materials is envisioned. Our goal is a full understanding of the performance profile of new materials