We aim to enhance the mechanical properties of PLA by synthesizing disentangled ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) PLA that can be converted into high strength/high modulus fibers and films while maintaining the biocompatibility and biodegradability. In particular by tailoring the reaction conditions as temperature, the catalyst and monomer concentrations it will be possible to influence both molecular weight and entangled state of the synthesized nascent polymer. Considering that the processing will be performed below melting temperature, thermal degradation in the polyester will be avoided.

The background knowledge acquired in the synthesis of a polyolefin like Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) will be applied/adapted to a different polymerization technique like ring-opening. Mechanical deformation of the semi-crystalline polymer into solid-state uniaxial and biaxial oriented structures is achieved by regulating the entangled state in the amorphous region. These studies have been limited to polyethylene only and no such studies have been performed on polyesters. The methods to follow disentangled state of the synthesized polymer will be developed using the existing characterization techniques, such as rheology, DSC (and temperature-modulated DSC), solid-state NMR and solid-state processing below melting temperature of the as synthesized nascent polymers.

The aim of this project is to set up a perennial network to pool expertise of researchers, professionals, and businesses to develop sustainability assessments in relation to a biobased and circular economy in three dimensions: environmental, economic, and social.

In this project AMIBM will seek and attract partners, to co-develop and participate in a network on the quantitative assessment of the sustainability impact of biobased products.

Creation of a perennial network on quantitative assessment and interpretation of the sustainability impact of biobased products.

As elasticity is one of the main mechanical properties of cardiovascular tissues, it is important to replicate the elasticity of native tissues using elastomeric biomaterials to create functional implants. The synthetic polymeric scaffolds developed so far show plastic deformation under high strain amounts and therefore fail to replicate the elasticity of innate tissues. To address these limitations, we attempt to develop a synthetic mimic of elastin, as the most important protein that provides the tissue with elasticity, using two different strategies.

The first strategy is a block-copolymer structure in which Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) moieties will be alternated with a hydrophilic domain; this structure closely resembles the structure of native elastin. The second strategy makes use of a graft-copolymer in which the ELP moieties will be grafted onto a synthetic polymer. The biobased nature of the synthetic polymers is considered in both strategies. The engineered material produced either way can be then tuned in terms of mechanical properties, biological activity, and processability to create scaffolds fibers.

The challenge of lignin based precursor fibres is, that they are extremely brittle and the reactivity (crosslinking) cannot be fully controlled, due to the different qualities and properties of natural lignin. A constant quality of the raw material has to be created by different treatment methods. For various lignin grades there must be an investigation of needed processing steps. Also the melt spinning process of lignin with different additives has to be investigated.

The overall goal of this project is to produce a melt spinnable bio based precursor for carbon fibres out of lignin blends. This new precursor material should be cheaper than the existing PAN precursor material.

The project is strongly interlinked with the other research groups at AMIBM. The group of prof. dr. Rainer Fisher will support the modification of the lignin and the group of prof. dr. Sanjay Rastogi will be able to use the biobased carbon fibres in their project BIO-BASED ADHESIVES FOR COMPOSITES (BIOAC) to establish a biobased carbon fibre with biobased sizing (adhesive). The topic carbon fibres will allow on the one hand to attract third party funding and on the other hand strengthen the cooperation between AMIBM and RWTH Aachen because the infrastructure for carbon fibre conversion is located at RWTH Aachen University.

The highest bulk biobased aromatic monomer on the market prospected right now is furan dicarboxylic acid. This monomer has to find its applications in polyesters with beneficial properties compared to fossil based aromatic monomers.  Other bio-based aromatic monomers are not widely or commercially available. We envision this empty space as an opportunity to develop novel aromatic monomers from biomass to create a broader variety on novel functionalities in materials.

Biobased aromatics will enable a move to a more sustainable plastic economy while providing new functions to polymers which high-end applications. Possible applications include self-healing materials, conductive materials, ion exchange materials and will find use in new biomedical devices, sensors and micro-electronics.

• Development of a generic approach for synthesis and development of the structure property relationships in adhesives.
• Development of adhesives for the existing high performance materials, such are aramids, carbon and polyethylene fibers.
• Development of light weight and high impact composites for transportation and sports gear.
• Adhesive will also be tested with bio-based carbon fibres from Lignin.

The research group has isolated a novel, non-described, bacterial strain („Chi5“) from environmental samples, which is able to convert chitin into chitosan oligosaccharides of defined chain lengths by a mixture of specialized enzymes. We are aiming to reveal the full potential of the enzyme cocktail produced by the marine microbe by sequencing its whole genome, followed by identification and subsequent recombinant production of the enzymes in a high performance expression system. After characterization of the single enzymes, the team will design a specialized cocktail composed of endo- and exochitinases able to generate chitin/chitosan oligomers of defined chain length from crab-chitin as basic raw material. By addition of a deacetylase, the required degree of acetylation of the sugar oligomers will be ensured.

The advantage of this approach is that long chained chitin/chitosan oligomers can be produced from prawn shells - a cheap by-product of the food industry – without the necessity of complex chemical processes using specialized enzyme mixtures. This “green approach” goes without the use of polluting chemicals; furthermore it’s much faster, more economical and more precise due to the high specificity of the enzymes. The enzymatic approach offers many advantages such as higher specificity, speed and product quality compared to a chemical process. AMIBM holds all rights related to the isolated microorganism, therefore no third parties are involved in terms of commercialization of the resulting products or further improvement of the enzymes/strain by molecular evolution.

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