One of the objectives of the course is the description of theoretical and practical aspects related to the industrial production of polymeric materials, with particular reference to the compounding process, the selection and use of additives, and the testing techniques.

Another objective is the analysis of environmental and sustainability issues concerning polymer technology, including the development of bioplastics, the recycling technology, and the fundamentals of life cycle assessment applied to products and production technologies.

After attending the course and after the final examination, the student will: 

• know and understand the main physico-chemical principles related to the general issue of industrial production of polymeric compounds
• know the main types of additives and industrial machinery to be used in polymer compounding, and how to design, select and optimize them on the basis of the desired set of material performances
• know the main types of available polymers from renewable sources as well as biodegradable polymers
• know the different types of available polymer recycling technologies, including logistical and regulatory implications
• know the main phases and the structure of a Life Cycle Assessment study
• be able to apply the above described knowledge aimed at the design and selection of optimal components and machinery for the production of a polymeric compound at industrial scale
• be able to apply the above described knowledge to the quantitative evaluation of the environmental impacts of a polymer product or process according to a cradle-to-gate approach

 These learning outcomes are expected to provide the student with the needed knowledge tools necessary for successfully performing their future activities in an industrial environment, with particular reference to the production of specialized polymeric compounds, their technological testing, and the evaluation of the associated environmental impacts

The main topics of the course are:

1) Application of physico-chemical principles to polymer compounding: solubility thermodynamics for polymer-additive binary mixtures; diffusivity, barrier properties in packaging materials, mechanisms of loss of additives; wettability, contact angle, hysteresis, determination of surface tension components, work of adhesion and Young-Duprè equation

2) Principles of mixing, flow analysis; quality of mixtures, intensity and scale of segregation; liquid-liquid miscible mixing, liquid-liquid immiscible mixing, solid-liquid mixing; analysis of the twin-screw extrusion process, other mechanical mixers, design of mixing elements, examples of industrial compounding cycles; energetic analysis

3) Polymer degradation and durability; thermal degradation, photodegradation, oxidative degradation, hydrolysis; analytical techniques to monitor polymer degradation and durability; accelerated tests; selection of thermal and photochemical stabilizers

4) Reaction to fire and polymer combustion; fire retardant additives; intumescent coatings; testing and regulations.

5) Plasticizers and fillers, nanofillers and nanocomposites, tribology and self-lubricating compounds. 

6) Colour technology and optical properties;  quantitative representation of colour, light source, and observer; colour mixing and colour matching technologies; Kubelka-Munk equations

6) Biodegradation and bioplastics; polymeric materials from renewable resources, enzymatic degradation; biodegradatation testing and regulations

7) Polymer recycling technologies (logistical aspects, mechanical, chemical, energy recovery)

8) Fundamentals of Life Cycle Assessment, the main phases of a LCA study, application examples to some cases in the polymer industry sector through simulation software

A background in polymer science and technology is required.

The examination will be an oral discussion about the course topics, chosen by the examiner (typically one topic related to polymer compounding technology like mixing, degradation, technological testing and one topic related to sustainability issues like biodegradation, recycling or LCA).

The student must be also able to clearly describe and critically discuss the proposed topics, highlighting the hypotheses, assumptions, critical points, the physical meaning and its consequences, including the mathematical approach where needed . The student should also be able to apply the theoretical knowledge to solving specific problems or troubleshooting some situations typically met in a real industrial environment.