Sustainable composite materials

Innovation of sustainable composite materials made from chemically modified wood fibers and bio-based polymers

The development of lightweight materials such as those used in the automotive industry represents an important step in promoting sustainable business. CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are reduced by saving weight. (Because less mass means less energy required to move a vehicle).

However, since petroleum-based standard plastics have so far been used to produce suitable composite materials, great potential remains unused on the path to greater sustainability.

Subproject 3 deals with approaches that enable the production of innovative, sustainable materials for the lightweight construction sector and thus effectively contribute to the conservation of fossil resources. Both an increased proportion of wood in composite materials and the use of a bio-based polymer made from renewable raw materials are considered promising and are being investigated. In addition, work is being done on optimizing both material components with regard to high compatibility in the composite.

There are some significant difficulties in the production and processing of wood materials with standard plastics: the relatively poor fiber-matrix adhesion, the mostly non-polar character, the high viscosity and the low processing temperatures of the polymers used. An improvement in the compatibility of wood materials with non-polar polymers is therefore sought within subproject 3 through various types of chemical modification of wood.

The development and adaptation of a bio-polymer to the desired requirements are also being investigated with the aim of achieving optimal wetting, low viscosities, gentle processing temperatures and ultimately the replacement of a commercial petroleum-based polymer with a material made from renewable raw materials.