WISE Research Master Thesis Projects

1. Smart phase-mapping for accelerated discovery of solar cell materials

Supervisor: Jonathan Staaf Scragg
Email: jonathan.scragg@uu.se
Thematic areas: Discovery, Energy

Next-generation solar cells require materials that do not yet exist. We explore new candidates using combinatorial thin-film synthesis, producing entire libraries of compositions in a single deposition. Mapping which phases are present is a critical bottleneck in this search. This project will apply machine learning to guide Raman spectroscopy measurements adaptively: rather than scanning a fixed grid, ML models will be used to steer sampling to resolve phase boundaries with far fewer measurements.

Working hands-on with combinatorial samples and the Raman technique, you will build automated spectral analysis pipelines in Python and apply off-the-shelf ML methods for guiding the instrument. The work feeds directly into our self-driving laboratory platform for solar cell materials discovery. You will join an interdisciplinary environment of materials scientists and AI researchers, providing valuable experience for a future scientific career.

2. Advanced Materials to Clean Water: Designing MOFs for Pollutant Removal

Supervisor: Ocean Cheung
Email: ocean.cheung@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Climate Environment, Discovery

This thesis project offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge materials with real-world impact. You will develop metal-organic frameworks, MOFs, a versatile class of porous materials, and explore their potential for removing harmful pollutants from water, including PFAS and/or dissolved metal ions.

The project follows a bottom-up design strategy, where you will design and assemble key building blocks such as metal clusters and organic linkers to create tailor-made MOFs. You will then investigate how these materials perform in capturing contaminants under realistic conditions, including drinking water. You will gain hands-on experience with advanced synthesis and characterisation techniques in a collaborative research environment, with close support from PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

3. Growth, structural, optical and electrical characterization of Cu2O for thin film photovoltaics

Supervisor: Per Eklund
Email: per.eklund@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Climate Environment, Discovery

This project focuses on the development and characterization of Cu2O thin films for photovoltaic applications, particularly for use in tandem solar cells and sustainable solar energy. The aim is to understand how deposition conditions influence structural, optical and electrical properties.

The student will gain hands-on experience in sputter deposition as well as characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Hall-effect measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical measurements. These methods will be used to evaluate film quality, phase purity, bandgap tunability and the presence of electrically and optically active defects. The project also aims to assess the fabrication of a simple solar cell design to evaluate photovoltaic performance.

4. Surface chemistry of zerovalent iron filters for uranium removal in mine water treatment

Supervisor: Roger Herbert
Email: roger.herbert@geo.uu.se
Thematic areas: Climate Environment, Circularity Replacement

Granular zerovalent iron has previously been demonstrated to effectively remove uranium from water by either precipitation or adsorption. Initial laboratory studies in Uppsala concerning uranium removal from high ionic strength mine drainage have demonstrated successful removal of uranium during short-term column studies. However, reaction mechanisms and the impact of interfering processes, such as nitrogen compound reduction and calcium carbonate precipitation, have only been postulated.

The aim of this study is to investigate changes in the surface chemistry of zerovalent iron during uranium removal in order to better predict filter performance in future mine water treatment systems. The project will be based on dynamic flow column experiments, with methods such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy used for surface chemistry characterization.

5. Architectured Magneto-Mechanical Materials for Next-Generation Power Systems

Supervisor: Mahmoud Mousavi
Email: mahmoud.mousavi@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Circularity Replacement

This master’s thesis will explore the design of architectured magnetic materials for next-generation power systems, with a focus on sustainability. The project aims to investigate how geometric structuring of magnetic materials can be used to reduce energy losses, control vibrations and improve efficiency in applications such as transformers.

The work will combine computational modeling and basic theoretical analysis to study the interaction between electromagnetic and mechanical behavior in structured materials. A key objective is to assess how such designs can contribute to more energy-efficient and sustainable power transmission technologies. The thesis offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of materials science, mechanics and energy systems, contributing to emerging solutions for the green transition. The project will be hosted at Uppsala University’s Division of Applied Mechanics, in close collaboration with Hitachi Energy.

6. Degradation mechanisms in photo-rechargeable batteries

Supervisor: Bowen Yang
Email: bowen.yang@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy

Have you ever imagined using your smartphone without ever plugging it in, but simply placing it under the sun or a lamp to recharge? This futuristic technology can be achieved by an emerging type of photo-rechargeable battery. These energy devices integrate solar and/or artificial light energy harvesting and storage in one single unit.

The devices mainly rely on the discovery of specialized bifunctional electrode materials, which are intercalation compounds that are also photoactive. One potential category discovered by the research team is metal halide perovskites. These materials exhibit excellent photoelectronic properties in solar cells and have also demonstrated the ability to host Li-ions. They are also cost-effective, earth-abundant and can be non-toxic.

In this project, key degradation mechanisms within a metal halide perovskite-based photo-rechargeable battery system will be investigated, mainly the electrode-electrolyte interface degradation mechanism. These fundamental investigations will provide crucial insights into the behavior of the material and device systems, supporting future development in this field.

7. Advancing Single-Atom-Catalyst Nanomembranes for Next-Generation Hydrogen Separation

Supervisor: Tuan Tran
Email: tuan.tran@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Discovery

This project explores a new approach for hydrogen separation from gas streams using ultrathin nanomembranes functionalized with single-atom catalysts. Unlike conventional membranes, which separate gases mainly by size, this project investigates a catalytic filtering mechanism in which isolated metal atoms embedded in graphene selectively interact with hydrogen and enable its transport through the membrane.

The work will involve fabrication of graphene nanomembranes, defect engineering using high-energy ions, atomic-scale characterization using advanced electron microscopy and analysis of hydrogen transport. The project is suitable for a student interested in nanomaterials, clean-energy technology, electron microscopy and nanoscale fabrication, and offers the opportunity to work at the interface of materials science, physics and nanotechnology.

8. Atomic-Scale Imaging of Beam-Sensitive Sustainable Materials by Electron Ptychography

Supervisor: Tuan Tran
Email: tuan.tran@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Discovery, Energy

Many materials relevant to sustainability, such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks and other porous organic or hybrid materials, are highly sensitive to electron-beam damage, which makes atomic-scale characterization challenging.

This project will explore electron ptychography in 4D-STEM as a powerful low-dose, low-energy imaging approach for resolving the atomic structure of such beam-sensitive materials. By recovering phase information from scattered electrons, ptychography can reveal light elements, defects, interfaces and pore structures with high precision. The project will involve data analysis and image reconstruction, with possible applications to materials used in catalysis, gas separation and energy storage. Understanding their structure at the atomic scale is essential for designing more efficient and sustainable materials.

9. Controlled Mineral Release Systems in Aqueous Environments

Supervisor: Håkan Engqvist
Email: hakan.engqvist@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement, Discovery

This project investigates the design and behavior of advanced material systems in aqueous environments, with emphasis on controlled interactions and long-term stability. It aims to generate fundamental understanding of dissolution dynamics, interfacial processes and system-level responses.

The outcomes are expected to inform the development of robust, scalable approaches relevant to a range of biological and environmental applications.

10. Aqueous Manganese-Based Batteries for Sustainable Grid-Scale Energy Storage

Supervisor: Erik Berg
Email: erik.berg@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Discovery

The energy transition demands storage technologies built on abundant, low-cost and non-toxic materials. Today’s market, however, remains dominated by lithium-ion chemistries reliant on critical raw materials.

This thesis investigates aqueous batteries pairing a MnO2 positive electrode with either Mn or Fe negative electrodes, leveraging two of Earth’s most abundant transition metals and water-based electrolytes to deliver inherently safe, recyclable and economically scalable cells. The project will design and assemble laboratory cells, benchmark electrochemical performance and analyze degradation mechanisms such as dendrite growth, passivation and parasitic hydrogen evolution. Results will feed into a techno-economic and sustainability assessment to evaluate viability for stationary grid storage and identify critical research bottlenecks.

11. Alkali-Related Defects in Off-Stoichiometric (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Absorbers

Supervisor: Kostiantyn Sopiha
Email: kostiantyn.sopiha@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Discovery

This master’s thesis project will investigate alkali-related defect chemistry in off-stoichiometric (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 solar absorbers using first-principles density functional theory.

The focus is on group-I-poor ordered vacancy compounds and extended defect structures in the chalcopyrite phase, which are central to high device performance yet remain poorly understood. The student will compute formation energies, electronic structure and charge transition levels of alkali-related defects inside various group-I-poor structures, and analyse their impact on carrier concentration, defect passivation and metastability. The project will provide fundamental insight into how alkali treatments modify material properties and improve device efficiency.

12. Energy-Efficient Photonic Systems Based on Simple WO3 Nanostructures for Next-Generation Displays

Supervisor: Kunli Xiong
Email: kunli.xiong@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Circularity Replacement

This project develops energy-efficient photonic systems based on nanostructured WO3, enabling reflective structural colour pixels with electrochromic tuning for next-generation displays. In contrast to emissive technologies such as OLED and MicroLED, which require continuous electrical power, the proposed approach minimizes energy use by decoupling light generation from energy input.

The master’s student will focus on numerical simulation and structure-property analysis of nanostructured WO3 photonic elements. This includes modelling the relationship between nanoscale geometry, optical response and electrochromic switching behaviour. The student will also participate in selected experimental characterization of fabricated structures, in close collaboration with a PhD researcher responsible for nanofabrication.

13. Designing the Next Generation of Solid-State Battery Electrolytes through Mixed-Anion Strategy

Supervisor: Xabier Martinez de Irujo Labalde
Email: xabier.martinezdeirujolabalde@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy

Today’s batteries rely on flammable liquid electrolytes, limiting safety and performance. Solid-state batteries replace these with solid materials, offering safer operation, higher energy density and longer lifetimes, but only if ions can move fast enough.

In this project, you will explore mixed-anion materials, a promising new class of solid electrolytes. You will synthesize compounds, uncover their crystal structures and measure ionic transport. By linking structure to performance, you will help reveal how better battery materials can be designed, while gaining hands-on experience in synthesis, diffraction and electrochemical analysis.

14. Surface properties of functional materials on the atomic scale

Supervisor: Andreas Kreisel
Email: andreas.kreisel@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Discovery

Examples of promising routes for new functional materials include unconventional superconductors in quantum materials and unconventional magnets for spintronics applications with low energy consumption.

Disorder in materials is detrimental to desired material properties, making it important to diagnose and understand the interplay of disorder with unconventional superconductivity and magnetism. In this project, traditional model-based lattice calculations will be augmented with material-specific ab-initio Wannier functions describing the surface of real materials. The project will start with lattice models that encode relevant symmetries of functional materials and then calculate surface tunneling properties.

15. Prussian Blue Analogues as Robust Electrodes in Complex Electrolytes

Supervisor: Leiting Zhang
Email: leiting.zhang@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Climate Environment

This master’s thesis investigates the potential of Prussian blue analogue materials as electrode candidates for seawater-based aqueous batteries, with a focus on sustainable energy storage.

Seawater is an attractive electrolyte due to its natural abundance, negligible cost and high ionic conductivity, eliminating the need for purified electrolytes while reducing environmental impact. Prussian blue analogues, composed of earth-abundant elements and featuring open framework structures, enable reversible ion insertion and are well suited for operation in complex ionic environments. The project involves preparing electrodes, assembling aqueous cells using simulated or real seawater and electrochemical characterization.

16. Sustainable design in MEX based printing with recycled materials

Supervisor: Bilen Emek Abali
Email: b.emek.abali@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement

Thermoplastic polymers may be printed by Material Extrusion, also called Fused Deposition Modeling, from filament. After the end of life of a product, shredding and refilamenting are possible for thermoplastic polymers, but their properties are expected to change.

Specifically in composites, a quantified analysis is missing. The project aims to experimentally analyse PA and PA with glass fibers to understand their mechanisms under recycling. If time allows, HDPE will also be part of the study, with additives altering recycling features. The purpose of this study is to support the design of parts by delivering modulus and strength data for recycled materials in 3D printing.

17. Polymeric artificial SEI layers for sodium-ion battery anodes

Supervisor: Andy Naylor
Email: andy.naylor@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy

Hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries suffer from intrinsically low first-cycle coulombic efficiency due to extensive electrolyte decomposition, limiting practical energy density.

This project addresses the challenge by developing polymeric artificial solid electrolyte interphase layers to passivate the hard carbon surface, while also improving sustainability by reducing the costly and time-consuming formation step. Solution-based deposition of nanometer-thin polymer coatings will be systematically investigated, focusing on polydiallyldimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide. The student will work with a postdoctoral mentor on polymer synthesis, electrode fabrication, electrochemical analysis and interfacial characterisation using XPS, IR and electron microscopy.

18. Copper Cementation for Sustainable Recovery of Critical Metals from Battery Recycling Streams

Supervisor: Nathalia Vieceli
Email: nathalia.vieceli@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement, Climate Environment

This project investigates copper cementation as a sustainable route for selective recovery of critical metals from battery recycling streams. While current flowsheets rely largely on chemically intensive solvent extraction, cementation offers a low-energy alternative but remains less explored in complex multi-metal systems.

The project will focus on redox processes governing the transformation of dissolved metal species into solid phases, using iron-based sacrificial materials as industrially relevant cementation agents. Emphasis is placed on kinetics, selectivity against co-dissolved metals and surface-driven effects during metal deposition.

19. New materials for renewable energy conversion and storage

Supervisor: Sergii Shylin
Email: sergii.shylin@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Climate Environment

The direct conversion of solar and wind energy into clean fuels through photoelectrochemical and electrochemical water splitting is a promising route towards a sustainable society. However, the water oxidation reaction, responsible for generating oxygen from water, remains a major bottleneck due to the slow reaction kinetics of O-O bond formation.

During this project, the student will be involved in the design and characterization of new transition metal complexes active in the oxygen evolution reaction, using electrochemistry and advanced spectroscopy techniques. Insights gained from these studies will guide the rational design of next-generation devices for renewable energy conversion and storage.

20. Developing a sensitive sensor for real-time monitoring volatile organic compounds in indoor environments

Supervisor: Qitao Hu
Email: qitao.hu@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Climate Environment

Volatile organic compound gases in indoor environments, emitted from building materials, furnishings and daily products, generate serious respiratory and neurological risks. Real-time monitoring of indoor volatile organic compounds is crucial for assessing air quality and potential health risks. The low-abundance nature of these compounds demands highly sensitive detection technologies.

This project aims to develop a sensitive electronic sensor chip for real-time monitoring of indoor volatile organic compounds. The sensor chip incorporates functional material metal-organic frameworks and a nanoscale field-effect transistor sensor array. The highly designable porous framework of metal-organic frameworks enables them to selectively bind with target molecules.

21. Investigating fluorine-free electrolytes for sodium-ion batteries

Supervisor: Guiomar Hernández
Email: guiomar.hernandez@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Circularity Replacement

Sodium-ion batteries are a promising environmentally friendly and affordable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The electrolytes used in state-of-the-art sodium-ion batteries are mostly inherited from lithium-ion systems and contain highly fluorinated chemicals that are toxic, corrosive and difficult to recycle.

Some fluorine-free electrolyte alternatives have already been developed but suffer from poor initial Coulombic efficiencies, which affects battery cell performance. The focus of this project is to synthesise fluorine-free salts, test their solubility in different solvents and investigate the electrochemical and physicochemical properties of the developed electrolyte solutions. Techniques include NMR, FTIR, TGA, electrochemical techniques and post-mortem interfacial analyses.

22. Developing a sensitive and real-time pesticide sensor for water quality monitoring

Supervisor: Qitao Hu
Email: qitao.hu@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Climate Environment

Pesticides widely used in agriculture can leach into and contaminate water systems, posing risks to human health and ecosystems. Conventional methods for detecting pesticide residues, such as chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, are often labor-intensive and time-consuming, and cannot provide real-time monitoring.

This project aims to develop a sensitive and real-time pesticide sensor for water quality monitoring. The proposed sensor will be constructed using an aptamer-functionalized silicon nanowire field-effect transistor. The aptamer is a short single-stranded DNA sequence that can specifically bind to the target pesticide molecule. Pesticide binding will induce a rapid and measurable current change in the transistor, allowing highly sensitive and specific quantification.

23. Physics-informed machine learning for sustainable additive manufacturing

Supervisor: Cole Jetton
Email: cole.jetton@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement, Discovery

With the rapid pace of research in additive manufacturing, particularly laser powder bed fusion, new methods are needed to accelerate alloy development. While additive manufacturing enables lightweight, high-performance components with reduced material waste, optimizing new alloy-process combinations remains slow and resource-intensive due to iterative experimentation.

Machine learning offers a path forward, but model accuracy is limited by scarce, costly data. This project proposes physics-informed machine learning to address this challenge by embedding prior knowledge of underlying physical phenomena into the model. Applied to lightweight magnesium alloys, this approach enables faster, more sustainable alloy design with fewer experimental iterations.

24. Recycling high-performance ceramics: disintegration and reunite

Supervisor: Wei Xia
Email: wei.xia@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement, Discovery

High-performance ceramics are widely used in biomedical, structural and energy applications due to their exceptional mechanical strength and chemical stability. However, these same properties make them extremely difficult to recycle, leading to significant material waste and environmental burden.

This project aims to develop a sustainable recycling strategy for high-performance ceramics through a two-step approach: disintegration and reunification. First, ceramic components will be disintegrated using a low-energy hydrothermal process. Second, the recovered materials will be reassembled through advanced sintering techniques, with a focus on interface reunification. The outcome will provide a novel circular materials strategy, reducing waste while maintaining high performance.

25. Generating strain-induced dissipationless currents in graphene

Supervisor: Venkata Kamalakar Mutta
Email: venkata.mutta@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Discovery

The pursuit of sustainable electronics requires fundamental breakthroughs in energy-efficient device paradigms beyond conventional charge-based semiconductor electronics. Graphene serves as an ideal medium for this transition, acting as a high-performance, carbon-based alternative to conventional materials.

In the ERC-funded SPINNER project, the research group is exploring ways to alter atomically thin materials by applying strain. This can change their structure and create new material properties from the same material, with potential use in memory, logic and neuromorphic components. If funded, the project will conduct experiments on the temperature dependence of electrical transport in strained graphene, providing insight into how electron-phonon coupling can be tuned to increase spin lifetime and how quantum transport at room temperature can be achieved.

26. Sustainable Electrolytes from European Supply Chains

Supervisor: Reza Younesi
Email: reza.younesi@kemi.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy, Climate Environment

Addressing Europe’s reliance on imported battery chemicals, this WISE-aligned project aims to develop high-performance sodium-ion electrolytes using strictly domestic and sustainable supply chains.

Following expertise in evaluating the solid electrolyte interphase in sodium-ion systems, the student will study how electrolyte additives influence the development of non-conventional battery electrolytes based on European supply chains. The work includes physicochemical profiling, electrochemical characterisation, interfacial engineering, long-term cycling and post-mortem XPS analysis. The project aims to provide PhD-preparatory training while directly advancing European battery sovereignty.

27. From Materials to Energy Devices: The Role of Interfaces

Supervisor: Håkan Rensmo
Email: hakan.rensmo@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy

Meeting future energy needs requires materials that efficiently convert light into electricity. This project explores such energy conversion processes in perovskite-based materials used in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

The work focuses on understanding electronic structure, charge transport, ion motion and long-term stability by deliberately tailoring material interfaces and controlling their atomic-scale properties. By combining interface engineering with advanced tools such as X-ray based, element-specific methods to probe interfacial and electronic structure, the project connects atomic-scale processes with device performance.

28. Light Element Dynamics in Energy Materials

Supervisor: Daniel Primetzhofer
Email: daniel.primetzhofer@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Energy

Light elements such as lithium and hydrogen play a central role in materials for energy storage, conversion and sustainability, yet their behavior in solids and at interfaces remains difficult to characterize.

This project aims to study the distribution, transport and chemical state of lithium and/or hydrogen in energy-relevant materials. By combining highly sensitive and quantitative ion beam based techniques with advanced surface and structural analysis, the work will link light element chemistry to electronic and geometric structure. Using the integrated capabilities of the Tandem Laboratory together with more traditional materials science tools, the project connects atomic-scale processes to material performance and stability.

29. Design and Additive Manufacturing of Cellulose-Based Energy-Absorbing Structures for Automotive Applications

Supervisor: Sara Florisson
Email: sara.florisson@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Discovery, Climate Environment

The aim of this project is to investigate how geometry, material composition and FDM printing parameters influence the energy absorption and mechanical behaviour of cellulose-based structures, with potential applications in automotive interior and protective components.

An experimental study will be conducted in which lattice and honeycomb structures are printed using cellulose-based composite filaments, for example PLA reinforced with cellulose fibres. Different geometries, densities and printing orientations will be explored. The mechanical behaviour of the structures will be evaluated using compression testing. In parallel, finite element simulations will be developed to model compression behaviour and better understand deformation mechanisms. The relationship between structure, processing parameters and mechanical performance will be analysed.

30. Sustainable Metal/Oxide Magnetic Superlattices for Energy-Efficient Analog In-Memory Computing

Supervisor: Vassilios Kapaklis
Email: vassilios.kapaklis@physics.uu.se
Thematic areas: Discovery, Energy

Artificial intelligence and data-intensive computing are creating rapidly increasing energy demands, partly because conventional computer architectures separate memory and logic. Analog in-memory computing offers a route to reduce data movement by performing operations directly in memory.

This master’s thesis will investigate epitaxial Fe/MgO and/or Fe/MgAl2O4 magnetic superlattices as sustainable, non-critical-material platforms for multistate magnetic memory elements. The project will focus on how interface structure, layer thickness and superlattice repetition control magnetic states and magneto-transport properties relevant to low-power neuromorphic computing. The work builds on established Uppsala expertise in sputtered Fe/oxide heterostructures, where tunable magnetic coupling, multiple magnetization plateaus and tunnelling-mediated interlayer exchange have already been demonstrated.

31. Moisture-dependent mechanical behaviour of chia seeds: experiments and modelling of a bio-based granular material

Supervisor: Malin Wohlert
Email: malin.wohlert@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Environment, Replacement, Discovery

In this project you will investigate how mechanical properties of Chia seeds depend on moisture content. Chia seeds may be viewed as a moisture-sensitive, bio-based granular material whose outer seed coat contains cellulose-based mucilage. Upon contact with water, the mucilage is rapidly released and forms a transparent gel-like capsule around the seed. This hydrated mucilage layer can strongly affect particle–particle interactions, including friction, adhesion, cohesion, deformation behaviour and flowability.

Understanding the moisture-dependent mechanical properties of seeds provides essential data for storage, handling, equipment design, and processing optimisation. The project combines experimental characterisation with simulations (discrete element method, DEM). You will experimentally determine relevant material parameters, such as particle size, shape, density, and at different moisture levels friction, stiffness, deformation response, and cohesion-related behaviour. These parameters will be used in your simulation models to simulate Chia seed assemblies and study how moisture affects packing, force transmission, flowability and mechanical stability. This is information that constitute a starting point for Chia seed processing for e.g. mucilage components to replace artificial food additives.

The expected outcome is a validated set of material parameters and a modelling workflow for moisture-dependent chia seed behaviour. The project contributes to WISE through its focus on renewable bio-based functional materials, resource-efficient processing and fundamental discovery of how hydration and mucilage formation influence the mechanics of granular biomaterials.

32. Safe and sustainable by design in MEX based printing

Supervisor: Bilen Emek Abali
Email: b.emek.abali@angstrom.uu.se
Thematic areas: Circularity Replacement

Thermoplastic polymers may be printed by Material Extrusion, also called Fused Deposition Modeling, from filament. We want to introduce a sustainability design parameter by considering the recycling properties of two different materials. After the end of life of a product, shredding and refilamenting are possible for thermoplastic polymers, but their properties are expected to change. Therefore, one of the common choice, PLA will be experimentally tested for its mechanical degradation due to recycling. Then HDPE will be analyzed as well, since we expect better recycling performance. Yet its 3D printing is challenging. The purpose of this study is to decipher printing parameters for a repeatable production by filament production and test additives for creating a printable HDPE mixture. Then modulus and strength data for recycled materials in 3D printing will open up the usage of this versatile material also in additive manufacturing. All data will be used in a sustainability index for allowing a safe and sustainable by design framework.