The development and design of new polymeric materials are based on the synthesis of new compounds and the optimization of existing materials. Therefore, researchers have to synthesize a large amount of (co)polymers and screen many reaction conditions by varying, e.g., monomers, catalysts, molecular weights, reaction times, reaction temperatures, feed rates, etc. This is a very time-consuming process. In order to speed up this research, parallel experimentation and high-output methods represent a very promising approach: Many different parameters can be investigated simultaneously or in fast serial mode and the results easily can be compared. This eventually will result in new structure property relationships. Therefore, Polymer science is a field that provides a seemingly inexhaustible playground for polymer chemists due to the vast experimental parameter space. Using selected examples, from the Polymer and Coating Industry, this presentation will show how a variety of very challenging workflows fully have been automated using a parallel set-up of individually controlled batch reactors. Parameters like feed rates, temperature, pH, agitation, pressure and viscosity actively can be controlled for each of the reactors, which allows researchers to characterize und understand even complex chemical processes in great detail while allocating only limited resources (in terms of time and researchers) at the same time. As a consequence a significant productivity increase per FTE (Full Time Equivalent) might be achieved.
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