Projets MatĂ©riaux / Research Projects – 2026
Semester Projects – Spring 2026
Investigation of Microwave-Induced Devulcanization for Improved Tire RecyclingÂ
The recycling of vulcanized rubber such as car and bike tires is a challenging sustainability issue due to the materialâs complex composition and resistance against solvents and harsh conditions. This project aims at introducing a new strategy to recycle end-of-life rubber. You will learn how to soften end-of-life rubber using microwaves and process them into new rubber-based material. You will characterize the influence of time and power of microwave treatment on the devulcanization of rubber and the mechanical properties of recycled rubber.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Reece Whatmore at [email protected].
Application and Optimization of Dynamic Covalent Exchange in Crosslinked Hydrogel NetworksÂ
Hydrogels are crosslinked polymer networks that have a wide variety of applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and food science. Being formed from irreversible chemical bonds, covalently crosslinked hydrogels cannot be reprocessed and reused, contributing to the waste issue created by the ubiquity of single-use plastics. This project aims to introduce crosslinking molecules capable of undergoing dynamic bond exchange at elevated temperatures to create a hydrogel that can be repeatedly reshaped and reprocessed without chemical or mechanical procedures. Additionally, you will investigate how internalized catalysts may be used to minimize the activation energy of the bond exchange to optimize reprocessing temperatures. You will learn how to create the hydrogels, assess the mechanical properties through tensile testing, and evaluate bond exchange conditions through in situ rheological testing.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Brian Ridenour at [email protected].
Master Thesis – Spring 2026
Silver-Polymer Microparticles as Building Blocks for Functional Elastomeric Systems
Silver stands out as a building block in elastomers for its unique physical, chemical and biological properties. It has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, strong catalytic activity and remarkable antimicrobial efficacy. These attributes make silver valuable in electronics, catalysis and biomedical devices. However, the high costs limit scalability and affordability. Moreover, the high density makes it poorly compatible with elastomeric matrices due to strong sedimentation in elastomer precursors, resulting in an inhomogeneous particle distribution, complicating the fabrication process and compromising the performance of the final product.
To address these limitations, we propose to employ instead silver-polymer microparticles as building blocks of double network granular elastomers. This approach reduces the amount of silver required and lowers the density of the building block improving dispersibility and compatibility within soft matrices.
In this project you will synthesize silver-polymer microparticles and investigate the influence of their composition and size on the mechanical and functional performance of the double network granular elastomer.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Marc GrÀdel at [email protected].
Air Moisture Curable, 3D Printable Double Network Granular Elastomers
Elastomers can be 3D printed via direct ink writing (DIW) by formulating them as microparticles that are jammed. By swelling these microparticles in a precursor solution, a second elastomer network can be formed. The resulting Double Network Granular Elastomers (DNGEs) retain their shape under deformation and display higher toughness than single network elastomers.
Previously, UV initiation was used to form the second network in DNGEs, but this approach is not suitable for opaque samples. Thermal initiation was explored as an alternative, yet heating causes microparticles to shrink and expel the precursor solution, thereby compromising shape fidelity and mechanical properties. Using ambient moisture as a trigger for crosslinking offers a promising alternative.
In this project, you will first synthesize prepolymers that crosslink upon exposure to air moisture. You will characterize their chemical structure with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and quantify their water content by Karl Fischer titration. You will study how parameters such as polymer type, functionality, molecular weight, catalyst, and humidity influence curing time and mechanical properties. You will then prepare elastomer microparticles via emulsion polymerization and swell them in the synthesized prepolymers. You will investigate the rheology and 3D printability of jammed reagent-loaded elastomer microparticles, and after curing, you will characterize their mechanical properties.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact François Rivat at [email protected].
3D Printing of Tough Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Untethered Soft Actuation
Soft robotics is a rapidly growing field due to its potential applications in the healthcare industry and its capacity for biomimicry. Many soft robotic design principles take inspiration from nature, such as mimicking the grasping mechanism of octopi or the snap-through behavior of Venus flytraps. Hydrogels are commonly used in the design of soft actuators due to their ease of use, adaptability, and stimuli-responsive behavior. Yet they are often limited mechanically by their low elastic modulus (on the order of kPa) and toughness. To address this problem, novel hydrogel systems are needed.
In this project, you will synthesize and characterize a double network granular hydrogel (DNGH) system composed of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), a thermoresponsive polymer, copolymerized with butyl acrylate (BA). You will investigate the effects of polymer and BA concentration on the elastic modulus, toughness, and actuation capabilities of the system through tensile tests and swelling measurements. You will use direct ink writing (DIW) to 3D print bilayer structures with varying composition to achieve maximum actuation force.
If you are interested in the project or have any questions, please contact Allison Chau at [email protected].
Meta-Stable Particle Synthesis for Low Energy Sintering
Fabrication of brittle, non-ductile materials with high melting points â such as ceramics â requires a powder technology-based processing route with a consolidating and densifying heat treatment at the end: the sintering step. Sintering is typically done between 0.6-0.8 times the fusion temperature (in K) for several hours. This processing step therefore involves thermally activated diffusion mechanisms that may lead to rapid microstructural changes, largely affecting the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the final material.
As a means to lower the energy needs for sintering to occur and offer new pathways for the advanced microstructure and thus property engineering of technical ceramics and minerals, synthesis of meta-stable powders is a promising research avenue for future scientific and technological breakthroughs.
In this project, we will study the effects of the crystallinity, chemistry, additives and size on the consolidation behavior of calcium carbonates, as a model material. The student will synthesize his/her own materials, varying the synthesis conditions in a controlled manner. Prior to studying the sintering behavior of the synthesized powder, thorough characterization will be performed, to learn and understand how the synthesis conditions will affect the powder properties (XRD, in-situ XRD, TGA, DSC, SEM/EDS, âŠ). Conventional and flash sintering will be done in convention and SPS ovens, directly following in-situ the shrinkage of the samples.
We expect to build correlations of synthesis conditions and meta-stability of the particles with the sintering behavior and microstructural development of the product to build a roadmap for bringing the approach to other ceramic materials.
The project will start at EPFL with initial training and familiarization with the particle synthesis process, before following-up at Empa in DĂŒbendorf.
For more information on this interesting opportunity in an emerging research field contact: Prof. Dr. Esther Amstad ([email protected]), and Dr. Michael Stuer ([email protected]).