Degradation of biodegradable polymers and their clay nanocomposites under environmentally relevant conditions (C02)

• Subject Area: Polymer Materials ; Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391977956

Packaging films made of PLA or PBAT, marked as "biodegradable," do not degrade fast in many environmental compartments and technical systems. In addition, neither the mechanical characteristics nor the gas barrier properties are adequate for applications in the food industry. In the 2nd funding period oft he CRC 1357, the C02 project wants to develop new polyesters and composites whose degradation is promoted by anoxic/oxic redox cycles, which are often encountered in the environment in addition to the enzymatically catalysed hydrolysis. The expectation is that the new biodegradable packaging materials developed by C02 will, on the one hand, meet the requirements for the property profile, and on the other hand, no persistent MP particles will form due to their rapid degradation.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1357: MICROPLASTICS - Understanding the mechanisms and processes of biological effects, transport and formation: From model to complex systems as a basis for new solutions
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bayreuth
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Seema Agarwal; Professor Dr. Josef Breu