Polynium Conference: Polymers Materials Science Across INGENIUM

On October 8th and 9th, 2024, researchers from the University of Crete (UOC) and the the GPM laboratory (Group of Material Physics) from University of Rouen Normandie (URN) gathered to participate in the Polynium conference. This event, held at the University of Rouen Normandie, provided a platform for experts in polymer materials to share their knowledge and present the latest advancements in their research, as part of the ANR INGENIUM project.

High-Level Presentations

The first day of the conference opened with an inaugural session led by Laurent Delbreilh, project leader, Eric Dargent, vice-president of international relations, and Xavier Sauvage, director of GPM.

Allisson Saiter-Fourcin (URN) kicked off the presentations by detailing her work on the physical aging of glass-forming liquids, a key topic in understanding the time evolution of amorphous material properties. Maria Vamvakaki (UOC) then presented functional and reactive polymers with high potential for advanced applications.

Following this, Antonella Esposito (URN) provided insights into the properties of furan-based thermoplastic polyesters, materials of significant international interest. The morning concluded with a virtual presentation by Emmanouil Glynos (UOC), who shared his research on electrolyte polymers for solid batteries—complex materials that hold great promise for energy storage.

The day continued with Emmanouela Filippidi (UOC), who presented innovative work on self-assembly in polymer and protein networks. Nicolas Delpouve (URN) showcased the potential of GPM’s experimental facilities in thermal analysis to characterize polymer materials, using the example of a 20-year-old aged polylactide. Benoit Loppinet, a researcher at the FORTH Center in Heraklion (Foundation for Research and Technology, Greece), introduced the institute and its capabilities for analyzing polymer materials and glasses. Finally, Laurent Delbreilh (URN) presented the technique of dielectric spectroscopy to characterize materials of interest.

Collaboration and Future Projects

The second day included a visit to GPM, discussions on the continuation of the Polynium project, and potential collaborations in teaching (for the Scémad master’s program in material sciences at the UFR ST).

UOC/URN faculty-researcher pairs were formed on common interest themes, such as the characterization of complex biopolymer properties, the analysis of nanostructured materials for energy, or complex polymer networks. Internship topics for master’s students will soon be proposed. According to the respective academic calendars, two six-month internships in Heraklion will be offered to URN students starting in March 2025. Similarly, two six-month internships at GPM will be offered to UOC students in the master’s program in materials science starting in September 2025.

A hybrid meeting later brought together the faculty-researchers from both universities to explore academic collaboration opportunities at the master’s level in materials science.

Towards New Collaborative Perspectives

The Polynium conference was a success both for the quality of the presentations and the scientific collaboration prospects it opened. The ongoing dialogue between the University of Rouen Normandy and the University of Crete promises many research opportunities in the field of polymer materials and internationalization of programs.