Switchable multifunctional materials for quantitative monitoring temperature, ambient, and liGth exposure

Objective

Different multifunctional materials by design and their architecture can be switched to a different state or configuration at different length scales by means of an external stimulus. In STAG, we explore groups of organic molecular, supramolecular and polymeric materials that can be blended with polymers to add specific sensing capability to a thin film. The target will be to devise new functional systems, which are responsive to exposure to a temperature above a threshold value and/or exposure to UV light.

Chemical design will be synergically used together with nanotechnology processing based on bottom-up approaches to achieve specific patterns whose variations in size, shape, motion and local response of an anisotropic property (optical, electrical, magnetic) will indicate the time of exposure of the system to the external perturbation agent. Different paradigms for reading the exposure time will explored based on phenomena such as nanostructuring, emergence of correlation length scales, and cooperativity. These new materials together with the technology that will be developed could form the basis for a novel class of tags and storage media where digital information at high density will be coupled to sensing functionality to record the history of ambient exposure of products. Socio-economical impact of this class of materials in the long term is enormous, offering completely new capability to packaging, especially for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and for their use in health, monitoring, anticounterfaction, safety and security.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › other engineering and technologies › food technology
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › sensors › optical sensors
• medical and health sciences › basic medicine › pharmacology and pharmacy › pharmaceutical drugs
• engineering and technology › nanotechnology
• engineering and technology › materials engineering › coating and films

Programme(s)

• FP6-NMP - Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices: thematic priority 3 under the 'Focusing and integrating community research' of the 'Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area' specific programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

• NMP-2004-3.4.2.1-1 - Interfacial phenomena in materials
• NMP-2004-3.4.2.3-1 - Materials by design: multifunctional organic materials

Call for proposal

FP6-2004-NMP-TI-4
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Coordinator

CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO NAZIONALE PER LA SCIENZA E TECNOLOGIA DEI MATERIALI

Address

Via Giusti, 9
Firenze
Italy

Links

Participants (5)

BASELL POLIOLEFINE ITALIA SPA

Italy

Address

Via Pergolesi Giovanni Battista 25
Milano

Links

SCRIBA NANOTECNOLOGIE SRL

Italy

Address

Via Fanin 48
Bologna

Links

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

United Kingdom

Address

Old College, South Bridge
Edinburgh

Links

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM

Netherlands

Address

Spui 21
Amsterdam

Links

UNIVERSITÉ LIBRE DE BRUXELLES

Belgium

Address

Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50
Bruxelles

Links