ERC Starting Grant · 2024
Unleashing Cellulose Potential: Laser-Driven Structural Modulation
LaserCell envisions an innovative approach to reshape and rearrange cellulose at the molecular level by disrupting cohesive interactions through resonant excitation of specific bonds. It will revolutionize the field of biopolymer processing beyond cellulose and yield fundamental insights into supramolecular structure and dynamics in biomaterials. Although cellulose is biodegradable and mechanically strong, it cannot be processed by conventional thermoplastic polymer methods, which limits its use as high-volume material. Cellulose decomposes before it melts because of cooperative intermolecular hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. To plasticise cellulose, I propose to disrupt these…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.