International conference and a new research project: Flogiston

YoungChem is a well‑established event that serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge and experience among young scientists from Poland and abroad. This year’s edition will host, among others, Prof. Herbert Mayr, Prof. Holger Braunschweig, Prof. Wojciech Fendler, Dr Jakub Brześkiewicz and Prof. Xu Xin.

The YoungChem conference has for years brought together the academic community around current challenges in chemistry and chemical engineering, as well as biotechnology and medical sciences. The programme includes research presentations, thematic sessions and space that supports the establishment of scientific collaboration. Organising an event of international scope is a significant logistical and managerial challenge for the team, while also providing valuable experience in delivering large‑scale projects. It is also a unique opportunity for the members of the student research group to develop not only scientifically but also by gaining practical teamwork skills and strengthening their soft competences.

In parallel, the students are carrying out the PolyWIN research project, which aims to develop a new polyester from the group of poly(adipoyltartaric acids), in which tartaric acid serves as the diol component and adipic acid as the dicarboxylic component. The target product of the synthesis is poly(adipoyltartaric acid), considered as a material with potential application properties.

The project received funding of 17,800 PLN as part of the resources allocated for student scientific projects. The work is carried out under the supervision of Prof. Andrzej Plichta, who provided access to specialised laboratory equipment.

A series of synthesis attempts was carried out using the Steglich polycondensation reaction with EDC, DCC and the DMAP catalyst. None of these attempts yielded the expected product. As an alternative, tartaric acid was reacted with adipoyl chloride in the presence of pyridine. In one case, a polymer with a molar mass of approximately 1000 g/mol was obtained, but the result was not reproducible, indicating the need for further optimisation of the process parameters.

The progress of the reaction was monitored using GPC gel permeation chromatography with integrated detectors, while the obtained products were analysed using NMR, IR and UV‑Vis spectroscopic methods. The team is currently focusing on improving the reproducibility of the synthesis and stabilising the resulting material properties.

Preliminary results indicate that the polymer obtained may serve as an alternative to polylactide (PLA), aligning with the development of materials with reduced environmental impact. Its potential as a material with conductive properties is also being investigated.

The organisational and research work involves: Marianna Burzyńska, Szymon Szczepkowski, Kamil Rudnicki, Aleksandra Chomicz, Tymon Obrębski, Tymoteusz Wilk, Julia Chmura, Marcin Kulikowski, Dorota Feczan and Kajetan Moczydłowski.