Sustainable Polymer Materials
In a World plagued with pollution, climate change, and increasing inequality between people, it is a priority for our society to change so that the human world becomes more friendly towards itself and the environment. We aim at contributing to a new sustainable society by inventing sustainable materials.
Materials for Anticorrosion
Corrosion is known to amount to around 5% of the Gross National Products in economic losses. Moreover, corrosion products and chemicals used to hinder corrosion are mostly toxic to the environment. Some studies have shown that it imparts significantly aquatic environments and thereby the health of flora, fauna, and people.
We strive to produce molecules and polymer materials which can significantly reduce corrosion rates of industrially important metals so that energy and resources can be saved and to reduce environmental pollution.
Self-Healing Materials
Autonomous self-healing materials are materials that can repair themselves after damage without human intervention. Therefore, self-healing materials are sustainable because they prevent the use of further resources and energy which would be needed to form and process new materials to replace the damaged ones.
New Polymers from Renewable Resources
Our objective is to fabricate functional materials with high added value from derivatives of biopolymers, especially biopolymers which are abundant in Thailand. For this, we modify polysaccharides such as dextran, chitosan, or starch from Cassava, shellac, proteins, and aromatic biopolymers such as lignin and melanin. One the approach followed together with Assist. Prof. D’Elia (VISTEC) consists in the carbonation of these biopolymers with the greenhouse gas CO2.
Materials for Biomedical Applications
Antibacterial materials
We apply the tools of nanoarchitectonics to design nanofibrous non-woven and hydrogels for wound healing.
Drug-Delivery Nanocarriers
Cancer treatment by injection of nanocarriers is a promising approach for avoiding detrimental side effects and maximizing therapeutic effects. We contribute to the development of new drug delivery nanocarriers in collaboration with Professor Katharina Landfester from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research.
