Final Activity Report Summary - BIOMADE (Biocatalytic Approach to Material Design)
Enzymes are the Natures precision catalysts and the chemists worldwide realise that they could be used to create new and better polymers than those made by more conventional chemical means. This is particularly important in the field of biodegradable polymers, which are materials that we will all need to adopt to ensure a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable world, but will also be fundamental for the development of novel functional materials for high performance areas such as biomedicine, nanotechnology and electronics. The Marie Curie research network BIOMADE brought together experts from across Europe, led by a major European polymer company (DSM), whose interests were focussed on the development of biotechnology and the introduction of sustainable routes towards improved polymeric materials.
The major achievements that resulted from this collaboration were the development of the mild and clean enzymatic modification and the synthesis of polymers under a variety of conditions, among which the use of supercritical carbondioxide. The latter was a green solvent as it circumvented the use of solvents derived from petrochemicals. Moreover, researchers in BIOMADE developed enzymatic routes to conductive polymers, which were traditionally synthesised using harsh chemicals.
During the second work phase BIOMADE researchers investigated whether the advantages which enzymes offered in nature, e.g. their high precision and selectivity, could be applied to make novel, useful materials. In a joint effort, combining the expertise of various fields of technology, they succeeded to provide a proof of concept for the selective enzymatic modification of polymers. By taking advantage of the enzymes unique features they obtained materials which were not easily accessible by conventional techniques.
Via both the development of green technology and novel functional materials, BIOMADE contributed to the establishment of European researchers at the forefront of this innovative technology and managed to educate the next generation scientists in the field of sustainable green chemistry.
The major achievements that resulted from this collaboration were the development of the mild and clean enzymatic modification and the synthesis of polymers under a variety of conditions, among which the use of supercritical carbondioxide. The latter was a green solvent as it circumvented the use of solvents derived from petrochemicals. Moreover, researchers in BIOMADE developed enzymatic routes to conductive polymers, which were traditionally synthesised using harsh chemicals.
During the second work phase BIOMADE researchers investigated whether the advantages which enzymes offered in nature, e.g. their high precision and selectivity, could be applied to make novel, useful materials. In a joint effort, combining the expertise of various fields of technology, they succeeded to provide a proof of concept for the selective enzymatic modification of polymers. By taking advantage of the enzymes unique features they obtained materials which were not easily accessible by conventional techniques.
Via both the development of green technology and novel functional materials, BIOMADE contributed to the establishment of European researchers at the forefront of this innovative technology and managed to educate the next generation scientists in the field of sustainable green chemistry.