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#Research & Development

Award-winning research for sustainable carbon fibre cycles

ITA Institute Director Professor Dr Thomas Gries and Sabina Dann with the MSE certificate © Iris Schümmer
Sustainable recycling of carbon fibres is possible through targeted electrochemical surface modification, which makes the sizing of carbon fibres resistant to solvolysis. ITA PhD student Sabina Dann was awarded the MSW Award from RWTH Aachen University for her master's thesis on this development. The award ceremony took place on 12 November 2025 in Aachen.

Sabina Dann's master's thesis opens up the way to sustainably recover carbon fibres, one of the key future topics in the composite materials industry.

The benefits for the industry include higher-quality recycling instead of downcycling of carbon fibres, as well as reduced material and disposal costs. The environment benefits from less landfill waste and the conservation of resources through longer fibre life cycles. With her master's thesis, Sabina Dann has presented a new approach for durable, solvent-resistant carbon fibre surfaces, offering a valuable contribution to research.

Most of the research for the master's thesis was conducted within the carbon fibre research group at the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.

This enabled Ms Dann to utilise the proven expertise of her Australian colleagues in her work and promote international cooperation between the institute and the university.

The MSE Award from RWTH Aachen University honours outstanding students in the field of Molecular Science & Engineering (MSE) who have achieved excellent results in their master's theses with an interdisciplinary focus and great scientific innovation potential.



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