Material Development and Structure Characterization

Renewable resources – Basis for new materials

Bio-based alternatives to traditional polymer systems based on petroleum chemistry, become more and more important in a variety of application fields. The limited availability of fossil resources, the dependence on oil and raw material-related netto emissions of carbon dioxide from burning of plastics are reasons to look for new ways to manufacture polymers from renewable resources. However, with respect to imported petroleum-based materials, marketable technical solutions for bio-based products must also offer advantages concerning properties or price. The application-oriented research activities of the department "Material Development and Structure Characterization" follow this aim.

Our team develops thermoplastics for your applications. We optimize polymer materials for your specific requirements. We adjust material properties according to your requirements. For this purpose, we modify, additivate and reinforce both petroleum-based and bio-based polymers. Our goal is to improve the physical, mechanical, thermomechanical properties of the materials, including processability.

You want to understand your material, characterize it or check its quality? We analyze for you the relationships between the chemical and physical structure of your material and its properties. You benefit from the many years of experience of our staff in the fields of light and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy. In addition, we offer state-of-the-art equipment for structural characterization. We effectively combine different methods to detect different levels of structure. In our climate-controlled testing laboratory, we use a wide range of mechanical testing methods to characterize material properties. We analyze melting and crystallization processes using thermal analysis methods.

Projects and Publications

Read the latest press releases and learn more about our research projects.