Publications related to Tailoring the performance of nanocellulose-based multilayer-barrier paperboard using biodegradable-thermoplastics, pigments, and plasticizers

Sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable castor oil-derived elastomers enabled by dynamic acetoacetyl formed amides

Developing sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable elastomers with the mechanical properties comparable to commercial polymers presents a formidable challenge. To this end, we synthesize a kind of mechanically robust elastomers cross -linked by acetoace ...

Elsevier Science Sa2024

Photodegradation of biodegradable plastics in aquatic environments: Current understanding and challenges

Florian Frédéric Vincent Breider, Vinhteang Kaing

Direct photolysis and indirect photolysis are important abiotic processes in aquatic environments through which plastics can be transformed physically and chemically. Transport of biodegradable plastics in water is influenced by vertical mixing and turbule ...

2023

Acetal-Stabilized Carbohydrates as Novel Platform Molecules for Renewable Polymer Production

Lorenz Perry Manker

To address the rising demand for plastics, it is essential to create new types of polymers that are both highly recyclable and emit minimal amounts of greenhouse gases. These plastics should be derived from readily available, renewable feedstocks. Such eff ...

EPFL2023

Additive and digital manufacturing of transient sensors and bioelectronics

Nicolas Francis Fumeaux

Transient electronics have emerged as a promising class of devices, capable of breaking down without harmful side effects to their environment. They have tremendous potential as bioresorbable electronics for temporary applications in the human body, and as ...

EPFL2023

Biocompatible and Biodegradable 3D Printing from Bioplastics: A Review

Sandro Carrara

There has been a lot of interest in developing and producing biodegradable polymers to address the current environmental problem caused by the continued usage of synthetic polymers derived from petroleum products. Bioplastics have been identified as a poss ...

MDPI2023

High-performance triboelectric nanogenerator via photon-generated carriers for green low-carbon system

Xin Chen

Enhancing the surface charge density and reducing the output impedance via innovative techniques are essential to accelerate the commercialization of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, methods for increasing output performance have numerous lim ...

Elsevier2023

Printed ecoresorbable temperature sensors for environmental monitoring

Danick Briand, James Alec Pierce Bourely, Nicolas Francis Fumeaux, Melissa Kossairi

Electronic waste has become a pressing issue, necessitating sustainable solutions for the disposal of electronic devices. While the development of environmentally degradable electronics has gained attention, the fabrication of stable and performant sensors ...

2023

Incorporation of Lignin in Bio-Based Resins for Potential Application in Fiber-Polymer Composites

Mário Alexandre De Jesus Garrido, Mateus De Assunção Hofmann

Bio-based resins, obtained from renewable raw materials, are a more sustainable alternative to oil-based resins for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The incorporation of lignin in those resins has the potential to enhance their performance. This ...

MDPI2023

Lignin, from biomass waste to sustainable materials for food packaging, antiviral coatings and agriculture

Alice Boarino

Our planet has been challenged for years by our reckless use of fossil fuels, which has led to the ongoing climate change and energy crisis. The transition to the use of renewable alternative sources has now became urgent and inevitable. The valorization o ...

EPFL2023

Supramolecular Modifications of Semicrystalline Polymers

Michael Alan Giffin

Supramolecular interactions play an important role in defining the structure and the resulting mechanical properties of materials. For instance, interchain hydrogen-bonding in PAs gives them superior strength and stiffness in engineering materials, while t ...

EPFL2023

Sustainable polyesters via direct functionalization of lignocellulosic sugars

Yves Leterrier, Véronique Michaud, François Maréchal, Jeremy Luterbacher, Harm-Anton Klok, Graham Reid Dick, Adrien Julien Demongeot, Christèle Rayroud, Maxime Alexandre Clément Hedou, Thibault Rambert

The development of sustainable plastics from abundant renewable feedstocks has been limited by the complexity and efficiency of their production, as well as their lack of competitive material properties. Here we demonstrate the direct transformation of the ...

2022

Extraction and controlled functionalization of lignin for materials applications

Stefania Bertella

Lignin is a renewable aromatic polymer that due to its abundance and unique chemical structure is a promising candidate to replace aromatic materials that are currently sourced from fossil oil. The same structure of lignin poses however drawbacks for its v ...

EPFL2022

Algal cellulose, production and potential use in plastics: Challenges and opportunities

Horst Pick, Christian Ludwig, Adrian Pulgarin, Enio Daniel Zanchetta, Eya Nicodeme, Tobias Borgmeyer

The development of new biodegradable plastic materials from renewable sources is a major challenge for plastic industries to provide sustainable alternatives to petroleum plastic. Bio-based plastics are generally obtained from photosynthetic biomass such a ...

2021

Nature-inspired Circular-economy Recycling (NaCRe) for Proteins

Simone Giaveri

Since a few decades our planet has been loaded with billion tons of synthetic polymer-based materials, commonly named plastics. The large scale of plastic production, associated with its limited recyclability, are the driving force for the accumulation of ...

EPFL2021

Hybridization of Synthetic Humins with a Metal-Organic Framework for Precious Metal Recovery and Reuse

Wendy Lee Queen, Claudia Esther Avalos, Olga Trukhina, Vikram Vinayak Karve, Till Marian Schertenleib, Jordi Espin Marti

The number of synthetic strategies used to functionalize MOFs with polymers is rapidly growing; this stems from the knowledge that non-native polymeric guests can significantly boost MOF performance in a number of desirable applications. The current work p ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2021

Biodegradation and Antimicrobial Properties of Zinc Oxide-Polymer Composite Materials for Urinary Stent Applications

Lorenzo Lucherini

Research advancements in the field of urinary stents have mainly been in the selection of materials and coatings to address commonly faced problems of encrustation and bacterial adhesion. In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) and polypropylene (PP) were eva ...

2020

Transient Electronics for Smart Biodegradable Medical Implants

Matthieu Jean Michel Rüegg

Bioresorbable implantable medical devices show great potential for applications requiring medical care over well-defined periods of time. Such implants naturally degrade and resorb in the body, which eliminates adverse long-term effects or the need for a s ...

EPFL2020

Microstructured biodegradable fibers for advanced controlled release

Shahrzad Shadman Yazdi

Biodegradable polymers are increasingly at the heart of therapeutic devices. Particularly in the form of thin and elongated fibers, they offer an effective strategy for controlled-release in a variety of biomedical configurations such as sutures, scaffolds ...

EPFL2020

Poly(lactide)/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites by high-shear mixing

Véronique Michaud, Nicolas Candau, Adrien Julien Demongeot, Oguzhan Oguz, Mehmet Kerem Citak, Fatma Nalan Cetin

There is currently considerable interest in developing stiff, strong, tough, and heat resistant poly(lactide) (PLA) based materials with improved melt elasticity in response to the increasing demand for sustainable plastics. However, simultaneous optimizat ...

WILEY2021

A Sustainable Approach to Produce Stiff, Super-Tough, and Heat-Resistant Poly(lactic acid)-Based Green Materials

Nicolas Candau, Oguzhan Oguz, Mehmet Kerem Citak, Fatma Nalan Cetin

Circumventing inherent embrittlement, poor heat resistance, and melt elasticity of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) without compromising its remarkable stiffness and strength has become a particular challenge in polymer science due to increasing demand for green ma ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2019