During the open-topic poster session “Milestones for a future worth living” at the 2025 Exner Lectures, Anastasia Naryshkina, a PhD student at the Institute of Materials Chemistry, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Robert Woodward, was awarded a prestigious poster prize. Her research project, “Recycled Polymers for Atmospheric Water Harvesting,” stood out for its dual impact on environmental sustainability.
From Plastic Waste to Clean Water
The project addresses two of the most pressing global challenges: the accumulation of plastic waste and the increasing scarcity of fresh water. Moving beyond conventional recycling, —which often leads to material degradation, —Naryshkina Anastasiia pursues a sophisticated upcycling strategy.
By converting waste polymers into hypercrosslinked polymers, the research team creates materials with a strong affinity for water. These resulting materials exhibit high adsorption capacities, allowing them to harvest moisture directly from the atmosphere. This approach demonstrates how discarded plastics can be repurposed into scalable, low-cost materials for sustainable water production.
"Instead of relying on conventional recycling routes, we transform discarded plastics into functional materials that offer a combined solution to plastic pollution and global water scarcity," says Anastasia Naryshkina.
About the Awardee
Anastasia Naryshkina earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology in Moscow before completing her Master’s degree at the University of Vienna in 2024. Her master’s thesis, conducted in the research group of Assoc. Prof. Robert Woodward at the Institute of Materials Chemistry, focused on hypercrosslinked polymers for supercapacitors. She is currently continuing her research as a PhD student within the same group.
The Wilhelm Exner Medal Foundation, established in 1921, is dedicated to advancing applied science and fostering the next generation of researchers whose work contributes to economic and social progress.
- Polymer & Composite Engineering Group at the Institute of Materials Chemistry
- A look back at the Exner Lectures 2025
