About MNEXT and the Biobased Building Blocks & Products Research Group
MNEXT collaborates with SMEs, students, and researchers on practice-oriented research into sustainable materials and plays an active role in the materials and energy transition. Within MNEXT, the Biobased Building Blocks & Products research group focuses on the synthesis, processing and application of biobased polymers, additives and colorants.
This internship takes place within the BioColEol project, which builds on the results of the earlier CurCol and ECOPRO projects. Over the past years, significant progress has been made in synthesizing colorants based on curcumin, a natural yellow pigment derived from turmeric. While curcumin is widely used as a food colorant, its limited stability restricts its use in technical applications. Newly developed curcumin-derived colorants show strong potential for use in plastics and other materials, and this internship contributes to advancing these developments further.
Assignment Description
During this internship, you will:
- Compound newly developed colorants into polymers to create color masterbatches
- Further process these masterbatches using extrusion techniques
- Test the resulting compounds for colorfastness and study the influence of different colorants, polymers and additives on final material properties
- Investigate thermal stability using analytical techniques such as DSC and TGA
- Evaluate color performance using colorimetric methods and contribute to identifying promising combinations for future applications
- Your work will help determine the performance and suitability of these biobased colorants in real polymer systems.
Desirable Skills
We are looking for a student who:
- Is a fourth-year MBO student or third- or fourth-year HBO student in chemistry, chemical engineering, analytical chemistry, laboratory sciences, process technology or a related field
- Has an interest in polymer chemistry
- Has strong proficiency in Dutch and English
- Can work independently in a laboratory environment after an introduction
What We Offer
- An internship allowance of €350 per month
- A valuable learning experience at Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda
- Access to modern laboratories and support from experienced researchers
Practical Details
Location
Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda
Duration
Approximately 20 weeks
Working Language
Dutch and English