Alexander Bismarck

Host:

Kristiina Oksman

Bibliography

Dr. Bismarck holds a Dr. rer. nat. (1999) and a Dipl.-Chem. (1995) from Technische Universität Berlin. Since 2013, he has led the Institute of Materials Chemistry and Research at the University of Vienna, Austria, where he is also a Professor of Materials Chemistry and heads the Polymer & Composite Engineering (PaCE) Group. His research includes the manufacture and characterisation of fibre reinforced high performance composites including carbon and nanomaterials and porous materials. The focus of his research is on the development of renewable materials, multifunctional composites which can simultaneously carry load and store energy, and emulsion templating for the synthesis of porous polymers. He has a strong interest on the social dimensions of materials research.
Dr. Bismarck has held visiting professorships at Imperial College London, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Bordeaux. His previous roles include Professor of Polymer Materials at Imperial College London and R&D Engineer at Sulzer Innotec in Switzerland. From 2023, Dr. Bismarck is a WISE guest professor at Luleå University of Technology.
He has received numerous awards, including the BEPS Outstanding Young Scientist Award (2010) and the Imperial College Excellence in Science Award (2007). He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Reactive and Functional Polymers and also a member of the editorial boards of Composite Science and Technology, Express Polymer Letters, Polimery, and Materials.

Research question

Professor Bismarck leads the Polymer & Composite Engineering (PaCe) Group at the University of Vienna, Austria. At the PaCe Group, the focus is on the manufacture and characterization of advanced materials such as fiber-reinforced high-performance (nano)composites, porous materials, and polymeric drag reducing agents. The research of our group focuses on the development of manufacturing processes for multifunctional composites for energy storage, fungal materials, and emulsion templating for the synthesis of porous polymers useful for process intensification.

One area of particular interest is structural supercapacitors, multifunctional materials that both carry mechanical loads and store electrical energy. Part of my research on supercapacitors is carried out in collaboration with Luleå University of Technology (LTU). 

Sustainability Aspects

Renewable materials are at the core of my research. For all materials we develop, we emphasize on process intensification, that is, designing with less materials, considering manufacturing routes that consume less energy and are more efficient, while keeping recycling in mind.

Although we do not conduct life-cycle assessments ourselves, we collaborate closely with experts in the field to better understand material cycles. This helps us to reuse materials whenever possible, minimize waste, develop processes that emit less carbon dioxide, and make efficient use of available resources.