KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is the largest and oldest technical university in Sweden. No less than one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education capacity at university level is provided by KTH. Education and research spans from natural sciences to all branches of engineering and includes Architecture, Industrial Management and Urban Planning. There are a total of 13,400 first and second level students and almost 1,900 doctoral students. KTH has 4,900 employees.

The School of Chemical Science and Engineering includes the areas Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Fibre and Polymer Technology. It encompasses both fundamental and applied Chemical sciences and seeks sustainable development through scientific excellence. Many research activities are interdisciplinary across the borders from Chemistry to Materials science, Environmental science, Biochemistry, Biology and Medicine. The School offers a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Chemistry, Degree Programs in Engineering Chemistry, Technical Preparatory Year and three international master programs: Chemical Engineering for Energy and the Environment, Macromolecular Materials and Molecular Science and Engineering. We also cooperate with the master programs Energy and Environment, Materials Design and Biotechnology.

Project description

With the environmental awareness towards a sustainable society, great efforts are nowadays invested to replace conventional plastics and therefore decreasing the dependency of materials generated from fossil-fuel. In fibre reinforced composites it is vital to have a thorough mixing between the fibres/fibrils and the polymer matrix. It is then necessary to have a high adhesion between the reinforcing fibres/fibrils and the elastic matrix polymer to fully utilize the inherent potential of the reinforcing fibres/fibrils and the polymers matrix. In order to manage a mixing of a high surface energy fibre/fibril in a low surface energy polymer matrix it is necessary to decrease the surface energy of the solid. Furthermore, it is essential that the mixing of the fibres/fibrils is combined with a tailoring of the adhesive interaction between the materials. A promising route for creating strong adhesive interactions between solids is the double network concept where a crosslinked polymer network is intermixed with a non-crosslinked polymer to create extraordinary strong double network gels with excellent adhesive properties. In this approach the crosslinked polymers is attached to the solid fibre/fibril and a non-crosslinked polymer is then allowed to migrate into the gel to create a strong and tough adhesive joint. On a higher structural level is has recently also been shown that a larger number of contacts in the contact zone will further improve the pull-off force and work of adhesion between contacting solids and one way of creating such a mesostructure at the interface is the use of tailored block copolymers.

The current WWSC position, funded by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, will be devoted to a molecular tailoring of the adhesion between fibres and fibrils and between fibres/fibrils and matrix polymers to create strong and tough adhesive joints in nanocomposites by surface modification with polymer chains. Utilizing various polymerization methods such as controlled radical polymerization (CRP) and ring-opening polymerization as well as efficient coupling chemistries, such as click-chemistry, a library of tailored-made block copolymers will be synthesized. The polymers will be adsorbed onto fibers and fibrils and the adhesive properties of the systems will be investigated. Additionally, different architectures of the block-copolymers will also be explored, such as tri-and penta-blocks, star-shaped and dendritic polymers.

This project is dedicated towards designing and synthesizing a library of various block copolymers for a) meso-structuring of the interface between polymers and fibrils and b) for optimizing the adhesion between the interfaces.

Eligibility and Assessment Criteria

M.Sc. degree in polymer science and engineering or similar areas. The project is synthetically intensive and includes synthesis of well-defined polymers and their structural characterization via traditional analytical techniques e.g. NMR, SEC, MALDI-TOF, DSC/TGA, FTIR, DLS etc. Documented experience of polymer synthesis via CRP, ROP, ROMP, click chemistry etc, will be regarded as advantageous when evaluating the applicant. Additional documentation on the modification of biofibers and surfaces will also be considered to the applicants favor. The candidate should be structured and creative, be able to work independently, meet agreed deadlines and critically analyze information.

Employment

Form of employment: Time limited
Number of positions: 1

Application procedure

In this recruitment we work together with Academic Work. Please send your application by following the link below:

www.academicwork.se/jobad/PhD-student-position—Tailoring-of-adhesion-by-surface-modification-with-tailor—made-block-copolymers/14945389

The application should be marked with reference number, clearly specify the specific position being applied for, and must include the following:

1. CV including education and relevant academic/work experience
2. Official record of transcripts and copy of degree certificate
3. Cover letter (maximum 2 pages) with a short description of interest in the scientific studies and the specific research field

Deadline for application: 2014-05-18
Reference number: K-2014-0273

Contact

Maria Salling, Academic Work, Recruitment Consultant
Phone: +46-701-61 73 06
E-mail: maria.salling@academicwork.se

Katarina Malm, Academic Work, Recruitment Administrator
Phone: +46-8-562 467 42
E-mail: katarina.malm@academicwork.se

Anna Carlmark, Associate Professor
Phone: +46-8-790 8027
E-mail: annac@kth.se

Eva Malmström, Professor
E-mail: mavem@kth.se

Trade Union Representative

Lars Abrahamsson, SACO
Phone: +46-8-790 70 58
E-mail: lars.abrahamsson@ee.kth.se