Wood-Derived Hybrid Particles for Stabilized Dispersions

Aqueous particle dispersions are elemental to many aspects of every-day life, from food and pharmaceuticals to construction materials. However, todays dispersion science faces a grand challenge in developing colloidal particles with outstanding functionality in a sustainable manner. To enable societys transformation from oil-based economy to bioeconomy, there is an urgent need to develop sophisticated biocompatible materials, such as particle dispersions, from biomass-derived precursors through sustainable conversion routes. Current bio-based alternatives to synthetic dispersions are entering the market rather slowly, primarily because key technologies to achieve superior functionality to justify industrial adaptation of biobased polymers are lacking. I will promote the findings of my fundamental ERC CoG project on hierarchical particles from two of the most abundant, but underused biopolymers: lignin and hemicelluloses. PARTIPERSION will establish a green route to sophisticated hierarchical architectures - hemicellulose-coated lignin particles - utilizing abundant bioresources. The project will lead to a breakthrough in colloid and interface science and contribute to more sustainable use of Earths resources.