The ECOMATERIALS Division was created in 2009 as a result of the union of researchers with similar interests, who have worked on related topics since 1991. The group’s lines of research and experience include the development of composites with natural fibers and/or biodegradable polymers, as well as the design, preparation and characterization of new materials developed from biopolymers, biobased polymers and nanocomposites with both structural and functional properties and applications.
The Division has a long history of successful collaborations with other national and international laboratories in the US, Europe and Latin America, a characteristic that continues today. Some of our researchers are recognized worldwide as references in polymeric materials obtained from natural resources.
The objective of the Division is to contribute to reducing the environmental impact generated by the use of polymeric materials, promoting sustainability, that is, economic and social development committed to caring for the environment. It is evident that plastics bring many social, technological and medical benefits. However, concerns about usage and disposal are diverse and include accumulation of waste in landfills and in natural habitats, the problems this causes for wildlife, the leaching of chemicals from plastic products and the potential for plastics to transfer chemicals to living beings. There are solutions, including material reduction, design for end-of-life recyclability, increased recycling capacity, use of bio-based feedstocks, and the application of green chemistry life-cycle analyses. Such measures will be most effective through the combined actions of the public, industry, scientists and governments.
The strategies to achieve this goal are the design, development and use of natural polymers from biomass, agricultural resources and waste or forest resources in the generation of new materials.
The lines of investigation of the members of the Division include: the design, synthesis and modification of precursors and polymers, obtaining and characterizing biodegradable films and membranes, active and intelligent films, compounds and nanocomposites totally or partially bio-derived, materials with functional properties, foams, elastomers, aerogels, coatings, multilayer materials and synthesis of organic and inorganic nanoparticles, among others.
The design of materials takes into account the possible sources of raw materials, the specific properties required and the evaluation of their behavior both in service conditions and at the end of their useful life; prioritizing in all cases that raw materials do not compete with the food industry. For composite and nanocomposite materials, the compatibility between the base polymer and the reinforcement is designed, developed and characterized in order to enhance the performance of the material in service.
Lines of work
A wide range of bio-based and biodegradable materials are synthesized and processed, including the following:
- FILMS AND COATINGS
- SMART AND ACTIVE FILMS
- BIOHYDROGELS AND AEROGELS
- ORGANIC AND INORGANIC NANOPARTICLES AND NANOFIBERS
- COMPOSITES AND NANOCOMPOSITES
- BIO-FOAMS
- MICRO- AND MACRO-POROUS MATERIALS
- ENCAPSULATING MATERIALS
- POLYMER PRECURSORS AND POLYMERS DERIVED FROM OLEOCHEMICALS
- PLASTICIZERS
- MAGNETIC MATERIALS BASED ON BIO-DERIVATIVE POLYMERS
- POLYMERS WITH FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES
- LAYERED MATERIALS.
Some of the bio-based raw materials we use in our work include starch, chitin, chitosan, alginate, fucoidan, caseinate, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid, polybutylene succinate, polyethylene glycol, traditional and water-dispersed bio-polyurethanes, phenolics, furfuryls, fatty acids, vegetable oils, cellulose cardboard, paper, clay, nanocellulose, silsesquioxanes, nanochitin, iron oxides, among others.
The materials mentioned above may have applications in the following areas:
- ADSORPTION OF POLLUTANTS
- THERMAL AND ACOUSTIC INSULATION
- MATERIALS FOR FOOD PACKAGING
- COSMETIC INDUSTRY
- COATINGS AND PAINTS
- BIOENERGY GENERATION
- SHAPE MEMORY ACTUATING DEVICES
- MICRONUTRIENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
- STRUCTURAL AND SEMI-STRUCTURAL MATERIALS
- FILMS WITH OPTICAL PROPERTIES
- SENSORS/ACTUATORS WITH SHAPE MEMORY
- FOOD FORTIFICATION
Specific properties evaluated include the following:
- Chemical and physical aging
- Biodegradation in soil, in composting and enzymatic media.
- Degradation due to environmental or atmospheric effects, such as temperature, water, humidity and/or light.
- Chemical, mechanical, thermal, optical, morphological, magnetic, surface, rheological and physical properties, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity characteristics, permeability to gases and vapors.