Microencapsulation and polysaccharide chemistry

The department Microencapsulation and Polysaccharide Chemistry is dedicated to the development of customized biobased materials for a broad range of applications, from building materials, adhesives and detergents to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Our focus is on biodegradable microcapsules and matrix particles as well as polysaccharide and lignin modification.

Through our applied research, we provide sustainable, environmentally friendly and tailored solutions to meet the specific requirements of our customers.

Why is sustainability important?

In the early days of polymer production, renewable raw materials such as tree resins or milk proteins were the main components of plastics. As industrialization progressed, products made from fossil and limited raw materials - coal and later mainly crude oil - gained in importance.

Now, almost two centuries later, this trend is reversing. The need for sustainable products and actions has also been brought to public attention by issues such as climate change, dwindling resources and plastic waste in the oceans. Only long-term, sustainable solutions will allow us to overcome these challenges.

How can we contribute to a sustainable future?

Many natural substances, such as fragrance oils or pigments, have functional properties. However, these are often not stable enough, for example against oxygen or temperature. By microencapsulation them in natural polymers, we stabilize these substances so that their processing and application profiles correspond to those of synthetic additives.

Through the combination of biobased polymers with biobased additives, we create pioneering products based on completely natural and sustainable principles.

We work on behalf of our industrial customers and offer many years of expertise to support the development of new solutions, products and applications. Do you want to collaborate with us? There are several ways:

Current Projects

• BeBio2 | Resistance of lignin-resin systems
• HarzForFree | Electroenzymatic synthesis of glycolaldehyde for the production of formaldehyde-free amino resins
• SoilSynbiotics | Development of Synbiotics for enhancing the soil microbiome
• ProgMat | materials as logical building blocks (programmable microcapsules)
• SmartBarriers | self-healing coatings for cartons
• LuBriKom | extrudable plastic composite with integrated durable friction

Completed projects

• Abstrichfrei | infection prevention through smear-free on-site testing for SARS-CoV-2
• Atemmaske | development platform for autonomous biosensors [Link]
• LigOdor | odor reduction of thermoplastic lignin blends
• EpoLig | lignin as a binder in reactive resin concretes
  
• WikoRelease I and II | development of new active ingredient delivery systems with complex release profiles based on NWR for use in the textile finishing sector
  
• SurSafe / Simpromat 2
• Enzymics | acceleration of the biodegradability of biobased chemically modified polymers by integration of enzymes
  
• HybridPearls | hybrid barrier materials to improve the barrier properties of microcapsules
  
• Life in Plastik | integration of living microorganisms into polymer films