Research Advances on Bio-based Polymers — Dr. Flore Kilens Successfully Defended her PhD Thesis
Research Advances on Bio-based Polymers — Dr. Flore Kilens Successfully Defended her PhD Thesis
Last week, Flore Kilens successfully defended her PhD thesis in bio-based polymers, titled “Poly(lactic acid)–polyether systems: towards novel bio-based block copolymers”. Her research advances the development of innovative renewable materials designed to replace conventional plastics with more sustainable, high-performance alternatives.
This work was carried out as part of the European Horizon project NATURE (nature-itn.eu), under the supervision of Haritz Sardon Muguruza (UPV/EHU), Coralie Jehanno (our Scientific Director), and Andrew Dove during her research stay at the University of Birmingham (UK).
A first article was published in 2024, in which cost-competitive acid-base catalysts are developed for their use in polycondensation reactions, mainly to obtain polyethers. If you are interested in the topic, have a look at our previous post here.
During her defense, Flore delivered a clear and engaging presentation, sparking a stimulating discussion on polymer sustainability with a distinguished jury:
- Prof. Luis Cabedo Mas (Universitat Jaume I, Spain)
- Prof. Nora Aranburu (UPV/EHU, Basque Country)
- Assoc. Prof. Benoit Couturaud (Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris Est, France)
We warmly congratulate Dr. Kilens on this outstanding achievement and thank the jury members for their valuable contributions.
📌 Check our bio-based polymers here
📄 Explore the European Project NATURE (nature-itn.eu)