Shenkar’s Department of Polymer Materials Engineering and the master’s program in polymer materials engineering facilitate extensive research studies throughout the year by the department’s faculty members and research-thesis master’s degree students, researchers-engineers of the department, post-doctorate researchers, and bachelor’s degree students in the various research groups as part of the program for outstanding students and their 4th year final projects.

The fruitful research conducted within the department also yielded numerous deliverables, such as publications in the international professional press and presentations at national and international conferences.

During the 2020-2021 academic year, more than 25 research projects were conducted within the department on various and diverse topics, most of which were funded by grants from the industry, the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (Ministry of Defense), the associations of the Israel Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and from EU funds (Horizon Europe).

Twenty-five research-thesis students took part in these projects, working as researchers in the department as part of the internship for the master’s degree in polymer materials engineering.

A significant number of these projects were presented throughout the year by the leading researchers and students in the study, as part of around 20 national and global conferences (some in-person and some remote).

Furthermore, during the 2020-2021 academic year, the department’s researchers wrote around 30 scientific articles, which were published in the world’s leading science and technology journals for polymer materials.

Here is a partial and selective list of the topics covered by the department's research during the 2020-2021 academic year

• Utilizing natural / agricultural waste by incorporating it in polymer systems for use in plastic products.
• Advanced methods in recycling plastic / polymer materials for the ‘circular economy' aimed at improving the green climate environment.
• Functional polymer surfaces that repel liquids and solids for medical and aerospace applications.
• Field treatments for carbon and other nanotubes for hybrid / nano-composite material systems.
• Reversible polymer coating systems (vitrimers).
• ‘Smart’ fibers and textiles as a wearable sensory system, as a wearable system that is antimicrobial / antiviral and as a system to filter and separate materials.
• Biodegradable bio-polymer systems for applications in medical facilities and in “green” packaging biodegradable products.
• “Ballistic” armor of engineering polymers using carbon and other nanotubes.
• Composite polymer filaments / ligaments for 3D printing of hybrid / armored bodies for medical and engineering applications.
• Carbon fibers pre-impregnated with polymeric resins for 'lightweight' aerospace engineering systems.
• Printed polymer micro-encapsulation systems for controlled release of medications and other “active” liquids.
• Polymer-thermoplastic-hybrid systems (nano-composites) for hot assimilation and controlled release of anti-microbial and anti-corrosive active materials.
• Polymer-thermoplastic-hybrid systems (nano-composites) to prevent leakage of stabilizing additives.
• Multi-phase polymeric membranes for selective diffusion / perfusion of aqueous media containing biochemical components in medical applications.
• Advanced polymer systems as adhesion media in engineering and biomedical applications.
• Other fields and topics.

Here is a select list of scientific articles written by researchers in the department, which were published in the world’s leading science and technology journals for polymer materials:

1. Hila Monder, Leo Bielenki, Hanna Dodiuk, Anna Dotan and Samuel Kenig, “Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) Coating for Repellency of Polar and Non-Polar Liquids”, Polymers, 12, 2423 (2020).
2. N. Naveh, A. Caron, L. Rahmani, T. Kaully, “Method and Experimental Characterization of the Surface Free Energy of Carbon Fibres used in Composite Systems”, Polymer Composites 2021, 42, 10, 5490-5500.
3. C. Moise, L. Rachmani, G. Mihai, O. Lazar, M. Enachescu, N. Naveh, Pulsed Laser Deposition of SWCNTs on Carbon Fibres: Effect of Deposition Temperature. Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1138.
4. N. Jarach, D. Golani, O. Asaf, H. Dodiuk, Y. Shamir, A. Goldbourt, S. Kenig, N. Naveh, “Composition Processing Properties Relationship of Vitrimers Based on Polyethyleneimine”, Polymer Chemistry 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1PY00116G. (Q1) (IF 5.582).
5. N. Jarach, R. Zuckerman, N. Naveh, H. Dodiuk, S. Kenig, "Bio- and Water-Based Reversible Covalent Bonds Containing Polymers (Vitrimers) and Their Relevance to Adhesives – A Critical Review", Rev. Adhes. Adhes., 9, 1–34, (2021).
6. D. Heiman Burstein, A. Dotan, H. Dodiuk, S. Kenig, “Superhydrophobic Coatings by Alkyl Silane Modified Stöber Process“, Polymers (2020).
7. Dafna Heiman-Burstein, Anna Dotan, Hanna Dodiuk and Samuel Kenig, “Hybrid Sol–Gel Superhydrophobic Coatings Based on Alkyl Silane-Modified Nanosilica”, Polymers, 13, 539 (2021).
8. O. Weizman, J. Mead, H. Dodiuk, S. Kenig, " Electrical Properties Enhancement of   CNT Yarns by Cyclic loading", Molecules, 25,4824 (2020)
9. N.Jarach, D. Meridor, M.Buzhor, D. Raichman, H. Dodiuk, S. Kenig and E.Amir “Anti-bacterial and electro-conductive coating for textile based on organic conjugated polymer”. Polymers, 12, 1517. (2020)
10. Almog Uziel, Anat Gelfand, Keren Amsalem, Paula Berman, Gil M Lewitus, David Meiri, Dan Y Lewitus, “Full-Spectrum Cannabis Extract Microdepots Support Controlled Release of Multiple Phytocannabinoids for Extended Therapeutic Effect”, ACS applied materials & interfaces 12 (2021), 23707-23716.
11. S Ghosh, G Otorgust, A Idelevich, O Regev, I Lapsker, DY Lewitus, A Zak, “Reinforcement of poly (methyl methacrylate) by WS2 nanotubes towards antiballistic applications”, Composites Science and Technology 207, 108736 (202).
12. Yoav Dan, Yanay Popowski, Marina Buzhor, Eti Menashe, Oren Rachmani, and Elizabeth Amir, “Covalent Surface Modification of Cellulose-Based Textiles for Oil−Water Separation Applications”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2020, 59, 13, 5456–5465.
13. M. Milanovich, T. Sarkar, Y. Popowski, J. Z. Low, L. M. Campos, S. Kenig, G. L. Frey and E. Amir, “Enhancing P3HT/PCBM blend stability by thermal crosslinking using poly(3-hexylthiophene)-S,S-dioxide”, Journal of Materials Chemistry Part C, Issue 23, (2020).