PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
- Development of photoinitiator free polymers from electron acceptor/electron donor oligomers to complying the needs of safe materials without the risk of uncontrolled migration of photoinitiators or their fragments (reducing skin sensitivity and food contamination), starting from biobased precursors.
- Optimisation of the reaction kinetics (academic secondment).
- Characterisation of the polymers, especially in view of food packaging applications.
- Obtaining of at least one photoinitiator free formulation that allows the obtaining of a more sustainable/safer material than the selected benchmark and has comparable performances.
EXPECTED RESULTS:
- Protocols for the modification of biobased monomers and biobased oligomers in order to obtain vinylether biobased monomers or oligomers, and maleimide biobased monomers or oligomers.
- Optimised photopolymerisation process without photoinitiator.
- Setting of an appropriate sustainability metrics, and safety assessment of the new process/material.
- Trained researcher expert on the synthesis and characterisation of biobased photoreactive resins and photoinitiator free photopolymerisation, acquired also during secondments.
PLANNED SECONDMENTS:
- Host 1: UHA (FR), supervisor: C. Croutxé-Barghorn, timing: month 31, length: 6 months. Purpose: monitoring of the photopolymerisation processes, also by Confocal Raman Spectroscopy.
- Host 2: ECOPACK (IT), supervisor: V. Musso, timing: month 38, length: 3 months. Purpose: optimisation of the formulation for food packaging applications and characterisation of some technically relevant properties of the films.
*Enrolment in Doctoral degree: at UM. Dr. C. Joly-Duhamel will act as supervisor and Dr. Mike Robitzer as co-supervisor.