Bio-renewable Monomers and Polymers

Making monomers from waste renewable resources, such as plants or carbon dioxide, may enable the replacement of petrochemical feedstocks in the production of new materials.  Our research interests in this area include the recycling of waste CO2emissions into useful polymers and the preparation of monomers, such as epoxides or lactones, from waste biomass. We have developed an efficient and scalable synthesis of carbohydrate lactones, starting from abundant D-glucose, which are (co)polymerized to deliver hydrophilic and degradable polyesters. In collaboration with Molly Stevens (Imperial College London), the carbohydrate copolyesters are applied as matrices in tissue regeneration. In collaboration with Alexander Bismarck (Vienna), we have developed fully renewable composites comprising cellulose fibres and bio-renewable polymer matrices.