Laboratory POLYMAT

The main activities undertaken in the PolyMat lab are focussed on the preparation of sustainable thermoset polymers and composites, in the form of thin films, fibrous membranes and 3D printed objects. Different polymerisation and crosslinking processes are employed, with both thermal and/or photoinduced initiation, following the main Green Chemistry guidelines. Processing techniques are coating (bar, dip, spin coating), electrospinning, Liquid Deposition Modelling. Composites are prepared by top-down techniques (e.g. dispersion of fillers in polymer precursors) or bottom-up techniques, synthesising nanoparticles in situ from suitable precursors at the same time as matrix polymerisation. Cellulosic micro and nanofillers preparation is also performed. For material characterisation main equipments of the lab are FTIR, optical  microscopies, permeability tester, contact angle meters.