Multi-functional mussel-inspired coatings for water treatment, CO2 capture and other environmental applications

The Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2, http://www.icn2.cat), is a non-profit international research institute located close to Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). It is devoted to the generation of knowledge, materials and devices in the broad fields of ICT, health, energy and the environment.

The expertise of the ICN2 lies at the nanoscale, where new properties, interactions and ways to exploit them in everyday life are being discovered. Among its goals is to bring together scientists from diverse backgrounds in the pursuit of better science, better training and better outreach to society, while also seeking out new ways to engage with local and global industry. ICN2 has specialized facilities that are at the forefront, some of them unique in Spain, which, together with the level of highly qualified technical assistance, are available for this project.

Our research group Nanostructured Functional Materials (Nanosfun, http://www.nanosfun.com) founded more than 15 years ago, it has grown as a multidisciplinary team of doctors and technologists with very complementary knowledge and training in different fields such as chemistry, materials, physics and engineering. At the research level, the group has focused on the development of new synthesis methods, molecular assembly and manufacturing processes to obtain functional nanomaterials of (bio)molecular or bioinspired origin, with applications mainly in the area of nanomedicine, emerging technologies and sustainability). All these works have placed the group as an international benchmark in the aforementioned work areas. Over the last years it has also established itself as a reference group in collaborations and applied science projects, in areas such as: i) bioinspired coatings for the control of surface properties ii) micro-/nanoencapsulation of active ingredients and iii) photo/fluorochromic materials. In this sense, it is important to highlight that the knowledge accumulated by Nanosfun in relation to the development of bioinspired coatings and their functionalization with active agents is directly related to the nature of the activities to be developed during the course of this project.

The development of versatile and multifunctional coating materials that can be applied to various surfaces is becoming increasingly necessary and in demand. These coatings should be easily functionalised to modify their properties and to adapt to different applications. Furthermore, biocompatibility and sustainability are important factors to consider when developing new materials. With this aim, we have developed a versatile family of bioinspired polymers that can be applied as universal coatings. These coatings exhibit strong adherence to various types of substrates (wood, fabric, metals, paper, polypropylene-based materials, etc.), as well as durability and long stability even in water environments. Besides, these coatings present other interesting properties as, for example, anti-bacterial/virus, anti-corrosive, particle entrapment, CO2 capture and wettability modulation, among others. The key advantages of this tecnhology are:

-Adhesion in humid and underwater conditions
-Easy to scale-up
-Intrinsic antibacterial properties
-Functionalization with (bio)molecules, such as fluorescent dyes, hydrophobic agents, etc.
-Thickness control by modulating reaction conditions
-Biocompatible and biodegradable
-Universal to different types of substrate (wood, paper, metals, fabric, etc.)
-Long durability and stability

We offer to explore our technology for their applciation in water remediation and enhance water treatment procedures using an economically afordable technology and easy to implement under any circumstance. We look for partners that can implement our technolgy for its validation in real environments. Worth to mention, the fabrication of the coatings can be performed under circular economy by using waste materials produced in the agrifood industry as we are using polyphenolic-based materials.

bioinspired, coatings, water treatment, agrifood industry, antimicrobial, CO2 capture, water adhesion, biodegradable