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NET4MAT - Building knowledge and tools for the sustainable microbial fighting through sensing and responsive polysaccharide-based materials

Project description

Smart biodegradable materials for microbial sensing and inhibition

Global pollution from non-biodegradable plastics demands sustainable alternatives. Simultaneously, the need for materials that detect and counteract pathogens is growing. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NET4MAT project develops biodegradable, antimicrobial materials with microbial-sensing properties. The project integrates lanthanide-glycoclusters and porphyrinoids into polysaccharide-based formulations, aiming eco-friendly solutions for food packaging and medical applications. By uniting academia and industry, NET4MAT enhances biodegradability, microbial detection and industrial scalability. The project focuses on optimising polymer processing techniques, including extrusion, injection moulding and electrospinning, ensuring real-world application. This collaborative effort seeks to revolutionise sustainable material design, enabling advanced antimicrobial bioplastics.

Objective

The worldwide pollution triggered by non-biodegradable plastics requires alternative sustainable/eco-friendly materials for all applications. On the other hand, pathogenic microbial resistance is demanding the development of materials that accurately detect and actuate against pathogenic microorganisms. To exploit an approach that answer both these issues, NET4MAT will bring together experts with complementary skills, building an interdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium between academia/research institutes/industry. NET4MAT network will explore the feasibility of combining microbial sensing lanthanide-glycoclusters and antimicrobial porphyrinoids with biodegradable and biocompatible polysaccharide-based formulations. With UAveiro focused on synthesizing porphyrinoids and processing 3D structures using the functional polysaccharide-based formulations; CSIC dedicated in extruding bionanocomposites; and DTU focused on electrospinning of NET4MAT materials, it will be created knowledge for developing microbial sensing and responsive biodegradable materials. In a complementary way, UCD will be focused on the synthesis of lanthanide-glycoclusters; GINP, pioneers in using nanocarbohydrates as biocomposites fillers, will improve the materials processability; and HUJI will evaluate the materials antimicrobial activity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. All together with NOFIMA, SPARTHA, BLAFAR, COLFEED and AMCubed will define pathways to scale-up/demonstrate the NET4MAT prototypes, generating skills in different interconnected fields. HISEEDTECH will help NET4MAT partners to create value from knowledge through technology entrepreneurship and open innovation. This is a consortium involving early-stage/senior researchers that by sharing know-how will optimize the best strategies for developing microbial sensing/responsive polysaccharide-based materials, raising up a disruptive breakthrough towards on-demand development antimicrobial biodegradable plastics.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE - HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO
Net EU contribution
€ 101 200,00
Address
CAMPUS UNIVERSITÁRIO DE SANTIAGO
3810-193 Aveiro
Portugal
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data

Participants (13)

Partners (1)