Eduard Edel
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Main Focus
I would like to understand the photo- and biodegradability of synthetic polyolefins and other polymers. My approach focuses on oxidation by singlet oxygen, which is generated using a covalently bounded photosensitizer. There, it reacts directly with the polymer, a reaction that can be detected using simple analytical methods. Oxidized polyethylene films can be degraded and digested by specialized marine fungi. We intend to test our modified films on these microorganisms. Various model compounds provide a basic understanding of the oxidation process of singlet oxygen in different polymers.
Curriculum Vitae
Eduard studied Biomedical Chemistry at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz (Germany) and completed his Master's degree in 2023. For his master's thesis, Eduard worked in the group of Prof. Tanja Weil under the direct supervision of Dr. Seah-Ling Kuan. During this time, his research focused on a way to perform intracellular bioorthogonal click reactions. Eduard started his PhD in September 2023 in the group of Prof. Tanja Weil. Under the supervision of Dr. Markus Klapper he works on strategies to increase the photo- and biodegradation rate of polyolefins in natural environments. Therefore, he is part of the "Halocycles" project funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. The research focus of this project is the development of optimized electrochemical conditions for the degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons.
Keywords: Photo- and Biodegradable polyolefin systems