Surface-bonded polymers for improved bonding
27. September 2023
In the context of climate change, environmental pollution and with the decline of fossil energies and raw materials, the development of new hybrid materials or the combination of plastics with natural fiber materials should achieve positive effects.
For the production of such hybrid materials in combination with wood or wood-based materials, adhesives/bonding agents are used in large quantities to realize the bond between the materials. In Germany, more than 1% of the almost 1 million tons of adhesives produced annually are used in the wood sector. However, due to the use of large quantities of adhesives, substances that are hazardous to health (e.g. isocyanates, formaldehydes), the emission of volatile components (VOC) and irreversible compounds with problematic recyclability, bonding represents a weak point in the production of hybrid materials with wood in terms of ecology, toxicology and resource conservation.
In the project, a surface modification of natural fiber-based materials via a surface-bound synthesis of polymers is aimed at. The polymer layer obtained by the modification is to be used as a bonding agent between plastics and wood in the production of hybrid materials. The aim here is to carry out the bonding without using additional adhesives or by reducing the quantities of adhesives. Since in some cases only tiny amounts of the reaction solution are required for the synthesis of the strong molecular binders used, the total amount of organic substances can be greatly reduced. The project thus makes a direct contribution to the implementation of the German Sustainability Strategy.
The project with the funding code 49VF220031 is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy within the framework of the funding guideline INNO-KOM module "Preliminary Research".
Contact person at the IHD:
Daniel Hafner (daniel.hafner@ihd-dresden.de)