Commercial processing of farmed mushroom generates significant fruiting body waste. About 20-30% of harvested mushrooms are being discarded because they fail the food standard, for instance, offcuts or mishapped caps and stalks. Drawing inspiration from recent development of chitin-glucan nanofilms, we propose to repurpose discarded mushrooms into value-added materials. By leveraging the chitin-glucan complex present in the cell wall of common mushrooms, we developed flexible chitin-glucan sheets as leather alternative but the application space can be expanded fungal cosmetic sheet masks (see figure). The chitin-glucan complex was extracted from two different fungal types, namely white button mushroom (A. bisporus) and lion’s mane mushroom (H. erinaceus), both containing valuable components beneficial for skin health. Mild extraction processes were chosen to preserve valuable cosmetical compounds in the extracted fungal biomass. The resulting materials were characterised in terms of porosity, mechanical and surface properties, water absorption and disintegration. Our findings demonstrate the potential of fungi-derived chitin-glucan sheets as viable alternatives to conventional cosmetic sheet masks. The developed materials exhibited tensile strength (upto 12 MPa) and strain to failure (up to 45%), comparable to commercial products. By repurposing dicarded mushrooms, we provide a means to upcycle fungal biomass otherwise used as animal feed or for compost into higher value products. Additionally, we will show a process that utilises waste textiles as substrate for mushroom cultivation, which also provides a new means to much improved mycellium composites.

Printed electronics (PE) have diverse applications in sensors and storage, but conventional substrates like poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) are derived from fossil-based raw materials. PLA, an eco-friendly polymer, presents a promising alternative due to its high tensile strength, Young’s modulus, non-toxicity, recyclability, and compostability. Compared to fossil-based polymers, PLA production reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 68% and energy consumption by 65%. This study aims to develop PLA-based materials as alternative substrates to replace PET in PE applications.
PLA nanocomposites incorporating lignin hybrid nanomaterials (LHM) with 10% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were suggested. Lignin enhances the mechanical properties of PLA, while MWCNTs act as nucleation agents to improve crystallization and electrical conductivity. PLA nanocomposites with varying lignin (10% MWCNTs) and raw lignin content were synthesized via solvent casting to prepare masterbatches, followed by melt mixing.
Thermal analysis showed that the additives did not affect PLA's melting and glass transition temperatures but significantly increased crystallization temperature. The addition of LHM improved tensile strength and Young’s modulus. Adhesion measurements were conducted using various inks on PLA-based and commercial PET substrates to assess surface properties. Results demonstrated that PLA-based nanocomposites could be viable eco-friendly alternatives to PET in PE, offering improved mechanical and thermal properties.
Acknowledgements
Funded by the European Union under the GA no 101070556. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or RIA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Aerogels, renowned for their remarkable properties such as low density, high surface area, low thermal conductivity, and ultra-low dielectric constant, are created by replacing the liquid phase of gels with air.[1] Among the various materials used for aerogel synthesis, semicrystalline polymers stand out for their ability to form thermoreversible gels via crystallization, with the crystallites serving as physical cross-links.[2] These gels can be transformed into aerogels through solvent exchange followed by freeze-drying. However, the potential to fine-tune the thermal, mechanical, and functional properties of polymer aerogels by manipulating the crystallization and solvent exchange conditions remains largely underexplored.

This study focuses on enhancing the properties of polylactic acid (PLA) aerogels, a biodegradable polymer with immense commercial relevance. By inducing stereocomplex (SC) formation between PLA enantiomers, poly(L-lactide) and poly(D-lactide), in the gel state, we achieve significant improvements in thermal stability and mechanical strength, coupled with a unique and robust morphology (Figure a).[3] Furthermore, we refine the solvent exchange process to introduce bio-sourced additives such as chitosan, sodium alginate, and phytic acid onto the gel framework in a layer-over-layer fashion. This innovative approach substantially elevates the flame-retardant properties of the aerogels, ensuring enhanced safety without compromising their lightweight nature (Figure b).[4]

Our findings offer a novel and sustainable methodology for fabricating multifunctional aerogels. By tailoring the crystallization and post-processing steps, these aerogels can meet diverse application demands, setting a new benchmark in advanced material design.

Air and water pollution are two serious environmental problems. For example, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is steadily increasing over the years. Water pollution is of similar concern due to the increasing number and amount of organic pollutants detected in wastewater, which pose a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem and also to human health. For both air and water purification, adsorption of pollutants onto suitable substrates is considered one of the most practical and versatile approaches. There is therefore great scientific and technological interest in identifying new and effective adsorption materials. The preparation of nanocomposites or hybrid adsorbents that combine materials with different functionalities is an intuitive way to obtain high performance systems that, in principle, possess the properties of each of their components. However, this is not a trivial strategy, as the manufacturing process and material composition play a crucial role in determining the final properties of the resulting adsorbent. Due to interactions between the components of the nanocomposite/hybrid and shielding effects, the performances obtained are even lower than those that would be expected based on the mixing rule. A deep understanding of the underlying mechanism of action is essential to design and develop nanocomposite/hybrid adsorbents where a synergistic effect is achieved, opening up unprecedented possibilities in terms of water/air purification capability.

Salt weathering is considered one of the key deterioration factors that put risk the structural integrity of building constructions and cultural and historical heritage worldwide 1,2. Furthermore, it is foreseen that the situation will get worse in the following years due to climate change, the massification of tourism, and high levels of pollution in urban areas 3. The salt weathering can derive from different sources (e.g., fertilizers and de-icing treatment), which penetrate, rise by capillarity, and crystallize, expanding and detaching the structure 1. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to develop innovative materials to overcome the state of decay of the world's cultural heritage 2.
In this work, new sustainable polymeric composites based on chemically modified cellulose enhanced with adsorbent sepiolites were fabricated to eliminate damaging salts from rocks. In these experiments, the polymeric chains of cellulose were successfully cross-linked using citric acid obtaining a water-stable and easily-handling biobased matrix. The influence of adding sepiolites on morphological features, water structural stability, and thermal resistance was also assessed. These composites generally exhibited excellent capabilities to remove sulfates, nitrates and chlorides. These tests were performed using powerful techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), to monitor the presence of sulfate salts on the surface of rocks. The activity of these materials was tested on a representative selection of rocks regarding international heritage and in a real monument, obtaining promising results. Last but not least, the notable capacity of these composites to remove ions derived from fertilizers offers new applications related to environmental remediation.

This project focuses on immobilizing catalytically active building blocks within nanostructured block copolymer membranes, enabling the design of hybrid photo-flow reactors for sunlight-driven water oxidation (WOC) and hydrogen evolution (HER). In order to overcome the challenges in hybrid catalytic systems, catalysts (CAT) and photosensitizers (PS) are incorporated within the membrane by electrostatic anchoring, covalent bonding, or even their combination.
Initial experiments using electrostatic immobilization demonstrated promising catalytic activity, with POMbranes facilitating HER under continuous flow [1]. In addition, we demonstrated heterogeneous WOC using a CoW POM catalyst paired with [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ [2]. However, many examples indicate partial leakage of the catalyst and photosensitizer (CAT/PS) or degradation, as observed through time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy. To address these challenges, we are developing reversible immobilization methods for suitable CAT building blocks alongside covalent linkage of various organic sensitizers, as well as the use of pre-synthesized CAT-PS dyads.
To move towards noble metal-free solutions, organic dyes were investigated as photosensitizers for electrostatic attachment to the membranes to support HER. In addition to BODIPY, ketocoumarins showed promise as next-generation noble metal-free photosensitizers.