Research Group Sustainable Polymer Chemistry

The Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC) group at the University of Twente develops the next generation of polymer materials for a world beyond conventional plastics.

Our research starts from a simple observation: many polymers are never recovered after use. They are dispersed into soils, waterways, plants, the human body, or become part of complex material systems. Yet most polymers are still designed as if they could always be collected and recycled.

We believe polymer science must move beyond designing materials only for performance. Instead, polymers should be engineered for their entire life cycle—from renewable molecular building blocks to their ultimate transformation after use. This concept forms the scientific foundation of SPC and connects all of our research.

Our work is built around three complementary research directions:

• Polymers for Environmental Release – designing materials for applications where recovery after use is impossible, including agriculture, coatings, personal care and biomedical technologies.
• Programmable Lifetime Polymers – controlling stability, degradation, recycling and functionality through molecular design.
• Sustainable Polymer Platforms – advancing polyphosphoesters, lignocellulosic polymers and circular phosphorus chemistry as enabling technologies for future sustainable materials.

These concepts are translated into applications ranging from advanced coatings and flame-retardant materials to agriculture, biomedical technologies, functional interfaces and future composite materials.

To transform polymer science from designing materials for use to designing materials for their entire life cycle.

We envision a world where polymer performance and polymer fate are engineered together, enabling materials that deliver exceptional functionality while seamlessly integrating into natural and circular material cycles.

At SPC, we combine molecular precision with nature-inspired chemistry to develop sustainable polymer materials for applications where performance and end-of-life must be designed together.

Our research focuses on three complementary directions:

• Polymers for Environmental Release – materials for applications where recovery after use is impossible.
• Programmable Lifetime Polymers – polymers whose stability, degradation and recycling are encoded through molecular design.
• Sustainable Polymer Platforms – advancing polyphosphoesters, lignocellulosic polymers and circular phosphorus chemistry as enabling technologies for the next generation of sustainable materials.

Together, we translate molecular innovation into practical solutions for healthcare, agriculture, coatings, advanced materials and beyond.

The “Sustainable Polymer Chemistry“ (SPC) Group is embedded in the Department of Molecules and Materials at the Universiteit Twente in the Faculty of Science and Technology. SPC is also a member of the MESA+ Institute and the Polymer Center Twente (PCT).

FULL PROFESSORS

Prof. Dr. Frederik R. Wurm (Chair and Group Leader of SPC)  

• Organic and Polymer Chemistry; synthesis of biobased and biodegradable polymers; polyphosphoesters; flame-retardants;  sustainable agriculture; plastics for the future.

Prof. Dr. G. Julius Vancso (Emeritus Professor and Senior Expert)  

• Structure-property-applications relationships of engineering polymers, materials chemistry of stimulus-responsive macromolecules, surface engineering, and macromolecular nanotechnology.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS

Dr. Mark Hempenius  

• Organic and Polymer Synthesis.

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Dr. Joost Duvigneau  

• Materials chemistry, engineering, and processing of advanced (sustainable) thermoplastics, (nano)particles and (nano)composites

Dr. Hubert Gojzewski

• Micro- and nanostructured polymers, sustainable materials for 3D printing, methods for quantitative atomic force microscopy.

...And a multinational and interdisciplinary team 

Whether you're a student, funder, or industrial partner—to shape the future of materials in a post-fossil world.

To learn more about the SPC team, possible openings, and collaboration requests, contact us or our secretariat via spc-tnw@utwente.nl.