Research Assistant on Biodegradable Tubeless Sealant

at  ETH Zrich

100%, ZURICH, FIXED-TERM

The Department of Materials at ETH Zurich is looking for a research assistant to work for 48 months on an Innosuisse-funded project aimed at developing a new formulation for a fully biodegradable tubeless tire sealant for the biking industry.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Tubeless tires for bicycles have to be as lightweight and thin/flexible as possible and they are therefore manufactured not perfectly airtight and a small amount of sealant is filled into the tires at the installation. The sealant fluid is filled into the tire to seal it and also to seal the seat between the tire and the rim. Equally importantly, the sealant also has the function to seal punctures during riding, enabling the cyclist to continue riding without a large loss of pressure in the tire, ideally not even noticing that a puncture has occurred. The fluid offers puncture protection against sharps piercing the tire (e.g. glass or thorns) or when impacts on the rim damage the tire. Several successful products exist on the market, but not all the ingredients used for sealant manufacturing are sustainable and biodegradable.
After initial tests, we are now looking for a highly motivated research assistant to develop the formulation further into a potential product. This project involves the Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces at ETH Zurich, who has extensive experience in the engineering of complex fluids, and three industrial and partners, Sports Components AG, Collano and Veloplus.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• the selection and testing of appropriate materials and ingredients (both fluids and solid particles)
• the characterization of the mechanical properties of the sealant (e.g. rheology)
• the evaluation of all product characteristics with the final application in mind (sealing performance, compatibility, pricing, etc.)
• lab and field testing of the formulation
• close cooperation between the research group and the industrial partners, primarily Sports Components AG

Please refer the Job description for details