Breaking FROntiers for advanced engineering of bespoke, functional Biopolymer COmposite materials (FROBCO)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: WMG

Abstract

This fellowship programme will take a circular economy (CE) approach and unlock the huge potential of renewable biomass, which can be easily sourced from agriculture/aquaculture/food industry as byproducts or wastes. The biomass contains biopolymers cellulose, chitin/chitosan, starch, protein, alginate and lignin, which are valuable resources for making environmentally friendly materials. Moreover, these biopolymers have unique properties and functions, which make them highly potential in important, rapidly growing applications such as therapeutic agent delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds, biological devices, green electronics, sensing, dye and heavy metal removal, oil/water separation, and optics. However, enormous challenges exist to process biopolymers and achieve desired properties/functions cost-effectively; these valuable biomass resources have long been underutilised. This proposed ambitious and adventurous research will focus on the smart design of materials formulation and engineering process from an interdisciplinary perspective to realise the assembly of biopolymer composite materials under a single flow process. This will eventually lead to a reinvented, cost-effective engineering technology based on 3D printing to produce a diverse range of robust, biopolymer composite materials with tailored structure, properties and functionality. Due to the versatile chemistry of biopolymers for modification, the bespoke 'green' materials are expected to outperform many synthetic polymers and composites for specific applications such as tissue engineering and controlled release. The outcomes of this transformative project will not only provide fundamental knowledge leading to a completely new line of research, but also deliver ground-breaking technologies that will impact the UK's plastic industry by providing truly sustainable and high-performance options for high-end technological areas (e.g. healthcare and agriculture).

Planned Impact

ECONOMIC:
The new materials and new technologies developed from FROBCO will be highly interesting to a wide range of industry sectors, including, but not limited to:
1) The agriculture sector and biopolymer producers: For increasing applications of natural biopolymers in mainstream areas, the demand of these renewable resources as cellulose, chitin, protein and alginate will significantly increase, which need to be sourced from agriculture/food byproducts and wastes. This will help the growth of biopolymer industry and benefit the circular economy (CE) transformation.
2) Polymer processing and additive manufacturing equipment companies: The new materials manufacturing technologies developed from this project will help the equipment companies to develop next-generation instruments that are capable of producing biopolymer materials cost-effectively, which will increase their competitiveness in the market and enhance UK's leading position in manufacturing.
3) Biomaterials and plastic products companies: These companies will be highly interested in adopting the new, functional materials developed from this project so that they will have increased global competitiveness by supplying 'green' plastic solutions that are competent and competitive for new and demanding applications.
4) Health service providers and health professionals: New biomaterials and the related manufacturing technologies will enable improvement in patient treatment technologies, assist health professionals in delivering better health service, as well as to reduce the plastic biomedical wastes generated from hospitals.
The FROBCO team will engage with these companies via consultation, contract research and IP licensing for translating the results into real applications and thus contribute to wealth creation. Moreover, based on the skilled talent base and new capabilities, this research will have a strong potential in creating start-ups and joint ventures that will lead to future economic growth.

SOCIETAL:
FROBCO will bring significant impact on society in the following ways:
1) The new advanced biopolymer materials with excellent biofunctionality will provide more cost-effective solutions to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which will help people who suffer from tissue damage and related medical conditions to recover more quickly with less pain and have better health afterwards. Moreover, the new biocomposite can be tailored for wider, specific biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, wound healing, biomedical devices and sensors. All these will contribute to better healthcare to the UK people.
2) The uncovering of key design principles will also lead to bespoke biocomposite materials for even wider applications. For example, the novel structure and functionality of new materials can realise the controlled release of pesticide/fertilisers, contributing to sustainability in agriculture, where the excessive use and loss of these chemicals have caused serious environmental issues. Besides, the controlled release of antimicrobial or other functional agents gives chances to develop better active food packaging, reducing food wastes, which have been identified as a major factor contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and climate change.
3) This project will generate public awareness in sustainability and the CE through teaching and various public engagement and outreach activities, eventually leading to behaviour changes and the public involvement. It will also influence policy-makers and member associations for CE approaches in agriculture, providing a role model to catalyse changes in wider sectors. Moreover, through partnerships with ODA countries, this research will develop CE models for new products, benefiting a larger population in the world.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description We have made initial findings on cost-effective methods to create 3D-printable biopolymer-based composite materials with electrical functions.
Exploitation Route The results, once published, can be accessed by other researchers and industry to create biopolymer-based composite materials or products with similar or other properties and functionality.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Electronics

Healthcare

Manufacturing

including Industrial Biotechology

 
Description Biopolymer-based functional aerogel materials for tissue engineering applications
Amount £1,995,754 (GBP)
Funding ID RGS\R2\222071 
Organisation The Royal Society 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2022 
End 10/2023
 
Description Tough, strong natural biopolymer-based hydrogels for artificial muscles
Amount £11,930 (GBP)
Funding ID IES\R1\221039 
Organisation The Royal Society 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2022 
End 08/2024
 
Title Data from research to develop chitosan-based electroconductive inks for 3D printing for EMI shielding and strain sensing applications 
Description In this work, we developed an electroconductive ink for direct-ink-writing 3D printing that can be easily prepared without chemical reaction and exhibits excellent printability and material properties. This ink is based on chitosan as a binder, carbon fibers (CF) as a low-cost electroactive filler, and silk fibroin (SF) as a structural stabilizer. The 3D printability and flow behavior of the ink were investigated with different formulations. FTIR and TGA results showed interaction between chitosan chains and the amide groups of SF, while SEM revealed an interconnected network of CF in the composite. Using freeform 3D printing, the composite ink can form a designated pattern of electroconductive strips embedded in an elastomer, realizing an effective strain sensor for e.g. monitoring finger bending. The high printability of the ink can also be demonstrated by the printing of complex geometries without chemical or photoinitiated reactions. The composite materials are lightweight (density 0.59-0.29 g/cm3), electroconductive (2.84-2.64 s/cm), and inexpensive (20 USD/kg), with tensile strengths in the range 18.77-20.27 MPa. The 3D-printed composite had an EMI shielding effectiveness of 30-31 dB. Thus, the biopolymer-based ink developed here shows great potential for EMI shielding and other electronic applications. The data from this research include: Density of materials developed in the project; EMI shielding effectiveness; FTIR spectra; Tensile mechanical properties; Particle size; Resistivity; Rheological results; Sample preparation details; SEM images; Strain sensor data; TGA results 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact No notable impacts resulting from this development of this research dataset are known yet. 
URL https://data.ncl.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Data_from_research_to_develop_chitosan-based_electroconducti...
 
Description Collaboration with University of Wollongong on hydrogels 
Organisation University of Wollongong
Country Australia 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I knew that Professor Geoffrey Spinks at the University of Woolongong is highly regarded for his research in smart materials and soft robotics. I am very interested in developing natural polymer-based materials based on the research capabilities established through this EPSRC grant in smart materials, which is Professor Spinks' speciality. Therefore, I had a visit with my PhD student in his group, from which I learned their research focus and gained expertise and insights into the development of smart materials and soft robotics.
Collaborator Contribution Professor Geoffrey Spinks from the University of Woolongong provided me with his expertise and insights into the development of natural polymer-based smart materials and soft robotics.
Impact Outputs are still in the pipeline. This collaboration is multi-disciplinary, encompassing polymer science and engineering and mechanical engineering.
Start Year 2023
 
Description Collaboration with Versarien on nanomaterials 
Organisation Versarien Technologies
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I contacted Versarien people seeking for information about graphene they produces, which may be used for my composite development.
Collaborator Contribution Versarien people kindly provided me with some graphene samples for free.
Impact Outputs are in still in the pipeline. This collaboration is multi-disciplinary, encompassing polymer science and engineering and nanotechnology.
Start Year 2022