M/F Post-doctorant.e « Contrôle stéréochimique en polymérisation sans pétrole à l'aide de nouveaux catalyseurs chiraux pour la synthèse de polyesters dégradables »

Economic constraints and societal issues call for rational design and alternative synthesis methods for polymer materials, in particular to meet the need for more virtuous end-of-life management, guaranteeing appropriate performance in the intended application. The aim of this research project is to develop a new strategy to meet this challenge and reduce the environmental footprint of polymers. The aim is to use chiral catalysts, with scalable properties, for ring-opening polymerization reactions of lactide, a monomer of non-fossil origin. These new catalysts are expected to induce stereochemical control of polymerization, i.e., creating stereocontrolled sequences using lactide in its racemic version. The aim is thus to design bio-sourced polymers that are easily degradable and have modulable thermomechanical properties. Particular attention will be paid to rationalizing the effects of catalyst structure on polymerization performance and mode of action.

Synthesis and purification of polymers
Kinetic study of polymerization reactions
Analysis and evaluation of the physico-chemical properties of the synthesized polymers
Writing of reports and articles

The Laboratory of Organic Polymer Chemistry (LCPO) is a joint research unit attached to the CNRS, the University of Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Polytechnic Institute (http://www.lcpo.fr). The LCPO is composed of 4 research teams and includes about 150 people, including about 50 permanent staff.

With more than 30 years of experience in polymer chemistry, the LCPO's research aims at :
- develop innovative methodologies for the precision synthesis of polymers, using biomimetic and/or green chemistry approaches
- develop functional polymeric materials by macromolecular engineering and self-assembly, particularly in the fields of renewable materials, health and energy
- to establish permanent links with the socio-economic world.

The candidate recruited will be under the supervision of Daniel Taton within Team 1 of the LCPO. He/she will work within the framework of the "post-Petroleum Materials" project, coordinated by Prof. Daniel Taton of the LCPO in Bordeaux. This project will be carried out in close collaboration with Dr. Gilles Guichard of the CBMM Laboratory in Bordeaux, located on the IECB premises. He/she will hold a PhD degree, preferably with expertise in Polymer Synthesis.