Training in VITRImers: high performance MAterials and Trainees for cutting-edge industrial applications

Project Information

VITRIMAT

Grant agreement ID: 860911

DOI

10.3030/860911

Project closed

EC signature date 9 August 2019

Start date 1 March 2020

End date 29 February 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 2 866 372,56

EU contribution

€ 2 866 372,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITE LYON 1 CLAUDE BERNARD
France

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VITRIMAT (Training in VITRImers: high performance MAterials and Trainees for cutting-edge industrial applications)

Reporting period: 2022-03-01 to 2024-02-29

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Today’s plastics are either thermoplastics composed of polymer chains, recyclable and processable at high throughput yet with poor heat and solvent resistance, or cross-linked thermosets made of permanent polymer networks with far better thermomechanical properties and solvent resistance yet essentially intractable and non-recyclable once processed. Vitrimers, or associative covalent adaptable networks (CANs), are a recent class of polymer materials taking benefit of dynamic exchangeable cross-links and combining the best features of thermoplastics and thermosets. By combining enhanced mechanical and chemical performances with abilities to be healed, welded, reprocessed and recycled, vitrimers bear the promise of the next generation of polymer materials and composites with new fields of applications in line with sustainable development and requisites of the plastics circular economy.

VITRIMAT offered to the eleven recruited early stage researchers (ESRs) a highly valuable training able to bridge the gap between cutting-edge European academic research on vitrimers and industrial developments of daily life products. VITRIMAT ESRs were the recipients of a pioneering, highly interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral training program covering the whole value chain of advanced polymer materials currently employed in sectors with high employability and expected growth (e.g. consumer goods, construction, recreational, wind energy, electromobility, aeronautics and automotive industries).
Overall the initial VITRIMAT objectives in terms of impact have been fulfilled:
- the project tightly combined academic and industrial research on a timely topic related to the societal aspect of circular economy,
- the overall quality of the recruited ESRs has been exceptional and the outcome in terms of dissemination has been remarkable,
- the consortium has definitely contributed to the strengthening of the European leadership on vitrimers and advanced materials in general.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The main achievements of the VITRIMAT consortium over the whole project include:
- the recruitment and thorough training of eleven outstanding ESRs enrolled in high-level PhD programs. ESRs acquired a broad range of advanced and transferable skills within a unique, innovative, multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral training environment that will be crucial for their future professional careers,
- the organisation in the frame of the European Polymer Federation (EPF) of three broadly open Training Schools and one final conference. Participations of 100-300 worldwide attendees including all ESRs and consortium members have strengthened the dissemination activities of the VITRIMAT project and its impact on the advanced polymer materials community at large,
- the organisation of three workshops dedicated to transversal skills (i.e. research integrity, public speaking (for scientific community), teamwork and collective intelligence, the peer-to-peer circle: how to deal with challenging situations during a PhD Journey, productivity and time management, career planning and job search strategies, career opportunities after the PhD). The sharp variety of training topics selected by the ESRs provides them with highly beneficial skills and solid assets for job search that will facilitate their future employability,
- the development of innovative vitrimer-based materials, vitrimer composites and vitrimer nanocomposites that show potential in different industrially-relevant applications and sectors,
- the deepened understanding of vitrimer materials through the establishment and the dissemination of best practices for their characterization as well as the development of predictive theoretical models,
- more than 50 dissemination activities given by ESRs in local (10), national (3) and international (26) scientific events as well as various outreach activities including a video addressing non-expert audience that have broadly disseminated VITRIMAT results and MSCA actions to the public at large,
- currently 10 published open access articles in rank A scientific journals (average impact factor = 11.5) a special issue co-edited by VITRIMAT PIs, and 2 published patents,
- more than 40 months of ESRs’ secondments performed in academia and industry all over western Europe,
- the strengthening the European leadership on vitrimers and advanced polymer materials by active participation and combined expertise and technologies of 6 academic partners, 1 national technical centre and 7 industrial partners (including 2 beneficiaries and 1 SME) that are world leaders in the chemistry, adhesives, thermosets and composites for consumer goods, construction and automotive applications.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

VITRIMAT ESRs have been at the core of the ground-breaking developments around the field of vitrimer materials carried out within an outstanding, interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral consortium. Their results have significantly contributed to the recent progress in vitrimer performances and their understanding by setting-up and disseminating the best practices for their characterization. Several original vitrimer materials have been developed in close collaboration with the industrial partners thus putting a particular focus on their capacity to be (re)reprocessed at high throughput using processing tools typically used for thermoplastics (i.e. injection, extrusion). New dynamic chemistries and new vitrimer formulations were particularly beneficial for the development and detailed investigation of vitrimer (nano)composites and vitrimer blends. These new vitrimer materials are particularly relevant in applications including consumer goods, construction, wind energy, aeronautics and automotive industries. Their appealing attributes (i.e. property enhancement, pre-/re-processability, recyclability, reversible adhesion, reparability and weldability) will certainly impact these economically- and societally-important EU industrial sectors that use large volumes of thermosets. Indeed, recyclability, end-of-life and circular economy of thermosetting materials are a major societal concern that that attract a lot of attention from the public at large. Therefore, the impactful VITRIMAT results and MSCA actions in general that have been broadly disseminated to a large variety of stakeholders will have both significant socio-economic and societal impacts. ESRs were trained by skilled and creative scientists in highly stimulating and multidisciplinary environments. They acquired the multidisciplinary outlook necessary for the development of next generation advanced materials, team and individual skills necessary to the successful achievements of high-impact projects, and transferable skills that will be beneficial for their employability and careers as leaders. VITRIMAT ESRs as our future European senior scientists and entrepreneurs that will cover key positions in both the industry and academia European job market will have the potential of strong impact to our society and will play a decisive role in shaping the economies of the future.

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