Working Party on Polymer Reaction Engineering - WP PRE

Mission

 

The Working Party on Polymer Reaction Engineering (PRE) represents a platform of scientists from academia and industry who are specialized in the field of polymer reaction engineering. The topics that are being discussed are very diverse and include the following fields:

• bulk, emulsion, catalytic and high pressure polymerization techniques in lab scale, mini plants as well as pilot plants
• synthesis of various homo and copolymers as well as blends and hybrid polymers, with applications ranging from packaging, textiles, construction materials, paints and coatings, adhesives, cosmetics, medicinal products and more
• understanding of structure-property relationships to tailor polymer products by process design
• investigate thermodynamics of complex (multi component) polymer systems especially under process-like conditions
• deterministic and stochastic modeling of polymerizations and polymeric microstructures to enhance understanding of polymerization mechanisms
• reactor performance: modelling and process control
• process advancements and introduction of new analytical methods, for example inline-spectroscopy

The working party meets regularly and exchanges ideas and new developments in the PRE research field. The members organize technical sessions of PRE on international conferences - such as the WCCE or ECCE - and interesting conferences are highlighted during business meetings. Moreover, the WP organizes an annual PhD student workshop, which is designed to enhance exchange between PhD students from all over Europe (and the world) among each other as well as with industry. The connection of the working party to industry manifests not only in the participation of industry representatives in the PhD student workshops, but also valuable funding of the corresponding event. These workshops were initiated by Prof. Dr. Markus Busch and started with the first workshop in 2012 in Lyon. More information on them can be found in section “Workshop”.

 

PhD Student Workshop of the WPPRE

Upcoming Workshop:

Prague, Czech Republic, 14-16 May 2025

UPCOMING WORKSHOP

1  PhD Student Workshop of the WPPRE

The PhD student workshop of the EFCE Working Party on Polymer Reaction Engineering (WPPRE) represents an international platform where young academics in the field of Polymer Reaction Engineering can build up valuable networks. It is an opportunity to meet fellow PhD students and to get in contact with representatives from industry.

In 2012 Professor Dr. Markus Busch from the Technical University of Darmstadt took over the chair of the WPPRE. Since then nine workshops have been organized (’12 in Lyon, ’13 in Hamburg, ’14 in San Sebastian, '15 in Fürstenfeldbruck, '16 in Hamburg, '17 in Vienna, and '18 in Prague, etc. - see "Previous activities"). They have been primarily directed to PhD students from universities all over Europe, giving them a chance to talk about the latest results of their work by means of short oral and poster presentations. In return they were able to benefit from helpful feedback and suggestions of the audience. Additionally, the best workshop contribution is honored with a pize by WILEY VCH.

The workshops also allow building valuable contacts between PhD students and industry: the PhD students can benefit from the industrial view on their research, while the industry representatives can learn about the latest academic research in the field of PRE and get to know future graduates. One reason for the success of the PhD-Student Workshop on Polymer Reaction Engineering represents the generous sponsoring of participants from industry. Over the years, many companies have supported the workshop though valuable sponsoring. Interested companies can sponsor one of our social events, which account for the workshops special atmosphere, or participate in the workshop as industry representatives. Please feel free to contact us at wppre(at)pre.tu-darmstadt.de!
 

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2  Topics

Topics being discussed at the WPPRE workshop are current advances in the field of

• Emulsion polymerization
• Gas-phase polymerization
• Polymerization kinetics
• Modelling of polymerizations
• Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
• High Pressure Polymerization
• Particle formation
• Polymer foaming
• Plant design.

This of course also includes know-how of analytical methods and techniques for medium and high pressures.

Impression of the WPPRE meeting in Hamburg. Welcome speech delivered by
Professor Dr. Moritz (University of Hamburg) 

Time for discussions during the poster session in Lyon 2012
 

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3  Social Events

Besides the hard work to be invested in the poster and oral presentations there will be time for intercultural exchange on a more private basis. The last two years lunch and dinner was kindly sponsored by industry giving the participants the possibility to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere.

Furthermore one day of the workshop is reserved for the closing ceremony and a joint activity in which one gets to see a little bit of the hosting city.

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Upcoming Workshop

13th PhD-Student Workshop on Polymer Reaction Engineering

Prague, Czech Republic, 14-16 May 2025

Further information will follow

 

Previous activities

 

PREVIOUS PhD WORKSHOPS

organised by the EFCE Working Party on Polymer Reaction Engineering - WPPRE
The PhD Student Workshop represents an international platform where young researchers in the field of polymer reaction engineering can build up valuable networks. It is an opportunity to meet fellow PhD students and to get in contact with interesting companies and potential employers while presenting their latest research results.