WallMat

Winner of the 2024 call for projects.

The aim of the project is to reconstruct new materials similar to natural structures found in plant cell walls from co-products and waste from the agri-food industry. Based on preliminary works, two types of structures, hollow capsules and (nano)structured composites, have been selected as representative of primary and secondary cell walls.
The target biomasses are citrus residues and apple pomace, rich in cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins, and lignins from pulp and paper industries.

Key steps of the project:

• As part of a biorefinery concept, these components will first be extracted and separated into building blocks suitable for subsequent controlled reassembly.
• Using a spontaneous formation process under osmotic flow, biomimetic capsules will be produced with the corresponding building blocks and subjected to various physico-chemical and enzymatic stresses.
• Their properties will be explored both as biomimetic analogues for biochemical and biomechanical studies and as capsules with adjustable mechanical properties capable of withstanding osmotic or drying stresses.
• In parallel, (nano)structured composites will be developed using an extrusion process representative of lignocellulosic fibres, with targeted and controlled microstructure and surface properties.
• The mechanical properties of the materials obtained will be studied and compared with known biocomposite models, as wood ultrastructures.

The expected results are a better understanding of the role of ultrastructure and interfaces on the performances of these biomimetic materials with controlled structures.

Finally, the project also aims to address, through the biomimetic approach, the scientific questions underlying the different stages of the elaboration processes, including the interaction of the different components and their role in the structuring and final properties for the targeted applications.
 

Project lifetime:
 

2024 - 2028

Scientific manager:
 

Laurent Heux (CNRS)