ChitinFluid

CHITIN AS A RESOURCE FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS VIA WATER-BASED COMPLEX FLUIDS 

The central objective of this multidisciplinary project is to open up new avenues for the technological processing of the biopolymer chitin through targeted modification into new innovative materials, that could be used in the building industry. The key step is to convert solid chitin into complex fluids that are easier to process through additive manufacturing technologies. The focus is on factors and boundary conditions that control or influence the mesoscale self-organisation of chitin, similar to living or chitin-modifying enzymatic systems.

The multidisciplinary project has four main independent scientific objectives, which can be distinguished as follows:

• Modified chitin raw materials;
• Chitin-based complex fluids;
• Production of chitin-based materials;
• Forming and application of chitin-based materials.

It is planned to investigate on the third and fourth scientific discipline for developing building components based on innovative chitin-based biocomposite building materials. The entire value chain from raw material to usable building component will be investigated and presented. Additive manufacturing technologies are envisaged, including a holistic life cycle that meets the ecological and economic requirements for building products.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Jun.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hanaa Dahy
Bio-based Materials and Materials Cycles in Architecture (BioMat) Research Group at Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHERS

Dr. Jan Petrs (BioMat at ITKE) 
Paulina Grabowska (BioMat at ITKE)

PARTNERS

Project Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Sabine Laschat, Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC)
Prof. Harald Garrecht, Institute for Materials in Construction & Materials Testing (IWB)
Prof. Frank Giesselmann, Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC)
Apl. Prof. Dr. Thomas Sottmann, Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC)
Dr. Linus Stegbauer, Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology (IGVP)
Prof. Ingrid Weiss, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems (IBBS)

FUNDING

Carl Zeiss Foundation