As consumers we use formulated products every day, for instance toothpaste, detergents, foods, paint. Behind their apparent simplicity, formulated products are extremely complex multicomponent, microstructured, and multiphase materials, where multiple chemical compounds (such as polymers and surfactants) are blended in a specific combination to obtain the desired texture and performance. Due to their complexity, the design and development of new formulated products can require several years, with significant R&D costs and recurrent failures. The ERC Proof of Concept project ABuMic aims to address a critical challenge of our society: the transition of formulated products to a safer and more sustainable industry. There is increasing pressure on the industry, both from the public opinion and regulatory bodies, for healthier food products and more environmentally friendly paints and coatings. As a result, in the coming years many formulated products will need to be re-formulated. This will come at a huge cost for the industry, because by and large, product development is still done by trial-and-error. This means that the formulated products industry needs more than ever the capability to predict formulation performance for rapid screening of new products. The current challenge is that processing flows and end-use produce flow conditions that are not accessible with existing methods for materials characterization. With the ABuMic device, a formulation scientist will be able to design a new product more quickly and efficiently, thereby lowering the cost of new product development, and supporting the transition to healthier and more sustainable products.
