The growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly materials has placed biopolymers at the forefront of advanced research. Derived from renewable sources, biopolymers hold immense potential for energy generation and smart applications, addressing global challenges in resource efficiency and green technology. This presentation highlights the innovative integration of biopolymers into energy generation devices, such as triboelectric nanogenerators, with a focus on their role as bio-based matrices and electrode materials. Their smart properties, including stimuli responsiveness and self-healing, are also discussed in the context of soft robotics.

By harnessing their biodegradability, mechanical tunability, and functional versatility, biopolymers enable next-generation sustainable solutions. Tailored macromolecular designs and optimized post-processing conditions yield biopolymers derived from plant-based oils, lignin, and cellulose, with properties ranging from soft, stretchable elastomers to hard, ductile shape-memory polymers.

To demonstrate their versatility, we developed a fully 3D-printed soft actuator capable of rapid and precise movements. Bio-based polymers further show promise for electromechanical sensor and actuator applications. Additionally, we created electrically conductive biocomposite resins by blending vegetable oil acrylates with single-walled carbon nanotubes. These resins were 3D-printed into electrodes for an electro-mechanical actuator prototype, showcasing their potential in multifunctional devices.

This presentation provides insights into recent advancements, challenges, and prospects for scaling biopolymer technologies, offering a transformative vision for sustainable energy and intelligent material innovation. Biopolymers are poised to revolutionize green technologies, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

The development of antifouling surfaces that mitigate bacterial adhesion and proliferation, thereby conferring antimicrobial properties, has been a subject of growing scientific interest in recent years. In this study, polymer nanocomposite coatings are designed to impart superhydrophobicity and water repellency to surfaces, enhancing their antifouling efficiency. This was achieved by depositing nanohybrid coatings that incorporate a hydrophobic polymer and different additives like Al2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles or layered materials such as Mxene, or even a combination of both. The wetting properties were evaluated via contact angle and contact angle hysteresis measurements, the morphology of the coated surfaces was examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), while the surface chemical composition was determined via Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The nanohybrid composition was optimized to achieve the desired wetting properties. For the optimized nanocoating, a superhydrophobic (CA> 150°) and water repellent (hysteresis <5°) surface was obtained. Moreover, the stability of the coated surfaces over time, under temperature and chemical treatment as well as under friction was investigated.

Acknowledgements: This research has been partially financed by the EU Horizon Europe Programme (project STOP, Grant Agreement 101057961).

Lignin-based catalysts for catalyzing CO2 cycloaddition to epoxides
Abstract
Cyclic carbonates have received considerable attention from academy and industry because of their applications as polar aprotic solvents, non-ionic surfactants, electrolytes in Li-ion batteries and precursors for chemical syntheses. These compounds can be synthesized through cycloaddition reaction of CO2 to epoxides in mild conditions, which is a sustainable strategy contributing to carbon neutrality.
Lignin and melanin, which are aromatic biopolymers contained in large amounts in plants and animals, are explored herein as catalysts for the synthesis cyclic carbonates. In the search for more efficient and sustainable bio-based catalysts, we extracted and produced micro/nanoparticles of melanin from various sources as well as kraft lignin nanoparticles. The particles could catalyze cycloaddition of CO2 to different epoxides under atmospheric conditions at moderate temperatures (60 oC) using low loadings of external nucleophiles. Phenolated lignin nanoparticles containing catechol groups were the most efficient catalysts.
Moreover, we designed an ionic liquid polymer displaying strong interactions with phenolated lignin, so that both polymer catalysts could be recovered from reaction media, circumventing the need for coimmobilization of catalysts for such systems. Our lignin-based catalysts could be used efficiently in mild conditions and could be recycled.

The development of lighter materials while preserving mechanical performance is a key need in sectors such as transport and construction, where weight reduction translates into greater energy efficiency and lower emissions. High-performance polymers (HPPs) have replaced metals and ceramics in many applications, combining mechanical strength, thermal stability and ease of processing. However, further reducing their density without compromising performance remains a challenge.

One promising strategy is the incorporation of ultra-nanoporous structures into these materials1. Previous works have shown that ultra-nanoscale porosity leads to biphasic materials with gaseous and molecular confinement. This not only lightens polymers but can also improve key properties, such as thermal insulation or impact strength while keeping the transparent character of the initial polymer2,3.

In this work, the influence of ultra-nanostructure on polyetherimide is studied. Ultra-nanocellular polyetherimide with pore sizes below 60 nm have been produced leading to density reductions up to 40 %, and light transmittance up to 90 %. Additionally, the produced materials present improving thermal insulation, increasing glass transition temperature, and better impact resistance in comparison to the solid.

These results position ultra-nanocellular HPPs as a viable solution for the development of lighter, transparent, and insulating polymers with excellent mechanical performance, for high-demand sectors, where weight reduction is key to improving energy efficiency without compromising structural performance.

Sustainably altering materials’ wettability is of significant interest to industrial researchers tackling separation of complex mixed fluids. Traditional methods of generating hydrophobic surfaces rely on harmful chemical modifications such as fluorination/silanization or resource intensive processes such as lithography or laser ablation. We report an alternative method utilizing application of ultrasound waves to convert composite polymeric membranes from initially hydrophilic to hydrophobic. We detail material characterization via bulk and surface-level tools to determine the driving mechanism behind alteration of wettability. We applied ultrasound to melamine-polypyrrole composite absorbents, inducing transformation of wettability from water-wetting to water-repelling. We quantified wetting behavior using a Goniometer, and found the absorbents’ contact angle went from hydrophilic (0°) to hydrophobic with an average of (135°) under air. We compared: 1) Pristine melamine, 2) Composite melamine-polypyrrole absorbents subjected to ultrasound waves, and 3) composite melamine-polypyrrole absorbents without ultrasound. Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray were utilized to examine microstructural changes after ultrasound treatment, revealing a reduction in free-standing polypyrrole segments. We used bulk characterization techniques of Raman, and Fourier-transformed Infrared to assess chemical stability. We employed X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy to understand the mechanism for wettability change if it be mass loss, functional group reorientation, or a combination of both. We conducted oil absorption capacity experiments to evaluate the separation performance of our hydrophobic membranes. In our opinion, mass loss and reorientation of functional groups hinders the formation of hydrogen bonds between the material’s surface and water molecules, thus making the surface hydrophobic.

Amphiphilic block polyelectrolytes are widely studied due to their ability to self-assemble into responsive micelles, resulting in applications in fields such as drug delivery and rheology control. While the majority of known systems utilize weak polyelectrolytes such as poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) [1], strong polyelectrolytes like poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate) (PAMPS) remain underexplored. In an effort to obtain amphiphilic block strong polyelectrolytes with increased viscosifying capacity, we have employed redox-initiated Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization in conjunction with aqueous Polymerization-Induced Self Assembly (PISA) to synthesize a series of high molecular weight polystyrene-b-PAMPS copolymers, ranging up to 1 MDa. Surprisingly, rheology experiments showed that aqueous dispersions of the copolymers do not form gels, but remain free-flowing shear-thinning highly viscous liquids, even at extremely high polymer concentrations (40 wt%). This is contrary to previously reported systems [2,3], where gelation and formation of a viscoelastic glass occurs already at very low polymer concentrations. The aqueous dispersions were characterized using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), revealing the presence of giant spherical micelles - polystyrene nanoparticles surrounded with expanded polyelectrolyte coronas. The block copolymer structure was confirmed with SEC and DOSY NMR.
Thanks to our previously reported [4] approach of utilizing polymerizable ionic liquids, the products - despite being strongly charged - remained soluble in organic solvents, which facilitates characterization, as well as enables loading of hydrophobic compounds into the nanoparticles by micelle disassembly-reassembly, which we demonstrate with a model hydrophobic dye.