Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NIPU (SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF NOVEL NONISOCYANATE POLYURETHANES)
Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31
With our planet´s resources progressively becoming scarcer, implementing sustainability and green chemistry in the field of polymers as a motor to achieve the transition towards a resource-efficient and competitive economy is essential today to ensure biodiversity, social well-being, and environment protection. In particular, NIPU-EJD aims to develop more sustainable and less hazardous polyurethanes currently produced with carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic isocyanates and instead exploit bio- and CO2-sourced monomers as greener and high-performance alternatives to produce non-isocyanates polyurethanes (NIPUs). NIPUs have promising performance for emerging and highly demanded applications such as rigid and flexible foams, coatings, elastomers, adhesives, recycling, and 3D printing.
To achieve our research goal, NIPU-EJD has implemented a highly interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral doctoral training program focused on adding scientific/technical competencies as well as transferable skills to 12 ESRs in the emerging and important area of sustainability and applied polymer chemistry. For the first time, the NIPU-EJD program integrates world-class and well-rounded expertise in the development of NIPUs, working closely with industrial partners, who will ensure the validation and future adoption of the new sustainable and eco-friendly production of NIPUs. Therefore, the NIPU-EJD program is both necessary and timely to ensure future leaders in academia or industry specialized in NIPU materials and its technological challenges.
To achieve our research goal, NIPU-EJD has implemented a highly interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral doctoral training program focused on adding scientific/technical competencies as well as transferable skills to 12 ESRs in the emerging and important area of sustainability and applied polymer chemistry. For the first time, the NIPU-EJD program integrates world-class and well-rounded expertise in the development of NIPUs, working closely with industrial partners, who will ensure the validation and future adoption of the new sustainable and eco-friendly production of NIPUs. Therefore, the NIPU-EJD program is both necessary and timely to ensure future leaders in academia or industry specialized in NIPU materials and its technological challenges.
The main achievements of the NIPU-EJD over the first two years include:
The recruitment of 12 highly motivated and promising ESRs, and their enrolment in PhD programs in two 2 different Universities.
Implementing 12 innovative research projects on sustainable development of NIPU materials exploiting the principles of green chemistry. The projects focused in four work packages: 1) synthesis of new highly reactive building blocks, 2) new conceptual pathways for the synthesis of high molar mass NIPU, 3) sustainable polymerization and recycling processes, and 4) sustainable applications of NIPU.
The establishment of the managerial framework, the joint governing structure and the cotutelle agreements.
The establishment of the communication channels.
The organisation of the summer school, entitled “Designing sustainable NIPU precursors, novel conceptual routes to NIPU and sustainable processes towards NIPU”.
The organisation of the winter school, entitled “Emerging applications towards NIPU”.
The recruitment of 12 highly motivated and promising ESRs, and their enrolment in PhD programs in two 2 different Universities.
Implementing 12 innovative research projects on sustainable development of NIPU materials exploiting the principles of green chemistry. The projects focused in four work packages: 1) synthesis of new highly reactive building blocks, 2) new conceptual pathways for the synthesis of high molar mass NIPU, 3) sustainable polymerization and recycling processes, and 4) sustainable applications of NIPU.
The establishment of the managerial framework, the joint governing structure and the cotutelle agreements.
The establishment of the communication channels.
The organisation of the summer school, entitled “Designing sustainable NIPU precursors, novel conceptual routes to NIPU and sustainable processes towards NIPU”.
The organisation of the winter school, entitled “Emerging applications towards NIPU”.
Although recent research breakthroughs have been reported on the safe and sustainable development of NIPU, this area of development is still in its infancy from an industrial perspective. We hope to strengthen Europe's innovation capacity in this area by combining the expertise of seven academic beneficiaries and seven industrial partners to increase the benefits of scientific results, drive market innovation and enhance industrial competitiveness. Our targeted schools and workshops will ensure that external researchers have the opportunity to access knowledge accumulated within the consortium that is not under intellectual property protection. We hope to strengthen the role of women in STEM to contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion. We also expect to make a significant contribution to enhancing Europe's research capacities by addressing the shortage of young researchers with interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and international training in in-demand sectors. In conclusion, we expect that NIPU-EJD will drive the transition towards a sustainable and green chemical industry in NIPUs.