Departments

The group's research focuses on developing new methodologies and approaches for controlled polymerizations to prepare tailor-made (co)polymers with precise control over molecular weight, architecture, and functionality for advanced applications in health, energy, and environmental fields. Research in advanced technologies centers on additive manufacturing (Vat 3D-printing), which enables selective curing of reaction mixtures using light as a polymerization activator to produce polypeptide materials with complex shapes for tissue engineering. A significant part of the research addresses sustainable solutions to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources and the environmental impact of plastic waste. The group is actively engaged in the chemical recycling of polymer materials and mixed textiles to obtain high-quality secondary raw materials suitable for reuse, thereby reducing the environmental footprint of polymers and supporting the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable circular economy. Part of the research focuses on identifying sources of microplastics and the long-term impacts of microplastics on the ecosystem. The common thread in all research directions is the ongoing development of new methods and approaches for the comprehensive characterization of complex polymers, aiming to better understand the relationships between structure and properties, as this, together with innovative polymerization techniques, enables the development of high-performance polymer materials with tailored properties.

KOČMAN, Ana, PAHOVNIK, David, ŽAGAR, Ema, UTROŠA, Petra. Photoinduced ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides for the preparation of cross-linked polypeptide gels. Angewandte Chemie : international edition, 2026, 65, e21891. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202521891

ČEŠAREK, Urška, LIU, Lijun, CHEN, Qiyi, WEN, Tianyuan, ŽAGAR, Ema, ZHAO, Junpeng, PAHOVNIK, David. Acidity reversal enables site-specific ring-opening polymerization of epoxides from biprotonic compounds. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147, 5189–5196. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c15676

BUDHIRAJA, Vaibhav, SHANDILYA, Prashant Mani, PAVKO, Luka, GARVER, John I., KRŽAN, Andrej. Influence of aging and colorants on environmental degradation of polyolefins. Emerging contaminants, 2025, 11, 1-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100516

GRDADOLNIK, Maja, ZDOVC, Blaž, DRINČIĆ, Ana, ÖNDER, Özgün Can, UTROŠA, Petra, GARCIA RAMOS, Susana, DOMINGUEZ RAMOS, Enrique, PAHOVNIK, David, ŽAGAR, Ema. Chemical recycling of flexible polyurethane foams by aminolysis to recover high-quality polyols. ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering, 2023, 11, 10864–10873, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c02311

GRDADOLNIK, Maja, DRINČIĆ, Ana, OREŠKI, Ana, ÖNDER, Özgün Can, UTROŠA, Petra, PAHOVNIK, David, ŽAGAR, Ema. Insight into chemical recycling of flexible polyurethane foams by acidolysis. ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering, 2022, 10, 1323-1332, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c07911

ZDOVC, Blaž, LI, Heng, ZHAO, Junpeng, PAHOVNIK, David, ŽAGAR, Ema. Influence of microstructure on the elution behavior of gradient copolymers in different modes of liquid interaction chromatography. Analytical chemistry, 2022, 94, 7844–7852, DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00193

UTROŠA, Petra, GRADIŠAR, Špela, ÖNDER, Özgün Can, ŽAGAR, Ema, PAHOVNIK, David. Synthetic polypeptide−polyester polyHIPEs prepared by thiol−ene photopolymerization. Macromolecules, 2022, 55, 5892–5900, DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00926

ÖNDER, Özgün Can, UTROŠA, Petra, CASERMAN, Simon, PODOBNIK, Marjetka, ŽAGAR, Ema, PAHOVNIK, David. Preparation of synthetic polypeptide-polyHIPE hydrogels with stimuli-responsive behavior. Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 8321-8330, DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01490

ŽAGAR, Ema, ČEŠAREK, Urška, DRINČIĆ, Ana, SITAR, Simona, SHLYAPNIKOV, Igor, PAHOVNIK, David. Quantitative determination of PA6 and/or PA66 content in polyamide-containing wastes. ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering, 2020, 8, 11818-11826, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04190

 SITAR, Simona, KEJŽAR, Anja, PAHOVNIK, David, KOGEJ, Ksenija, TUŠEK-ŽNIDARIČ, Magda, LENASSI, Metka, ŽAGAR, Ema. Size characterization and quantification of exosomes by asymmetrical-flow field-flow fractionation. Analytical chemistry, 2015, 87, 9225-9233, DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b01636