A molecular perspective

Jules Harings is principle investigator and associate professor Macromolecular Physics & Technology at the Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials of Maastricht University (UM). He received his PhD in Polymer Technology from Eindhoven Technical University under supervision of Prof. S. Rastogi and Prof. P.J. Lemstra (2009). After a four year’s period as research scientist fiber physics and new product development at Teijin Aramid, where he received the Teijin global best R&D award in 2011, he returned to academia at Maastricht University (2013). He coordinates a multitude of educational activities, o.a. the BioBased Materials master courses Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Physics, and Bio-inspired nano-structure induced material function. His research in the Laboratory of Macromolecular Physics and Technology (LaMP) focuses on the identification, study and control of bio-induced conformational behavior and secondary interactions of biobased macromolecules using optical and mechanical spectroscopy techniques during material fabrication and function. Topics include: (i) additive manufacturing and fiber spinning in (biomedical) engineering, and (ii) water actuated structural refinement, functionalization and biodegradability in timed polyamide performance.

In this video, Jules discusses how the processing of molecules informs material production, thermoplastics, and the past and future of bio-based polymers.

• Biobased materials like polyamide 11 (nylon) that is made from castor oil is as good as its synthetic counterparts and therefore, they can be engineering materials.
• For construction applications, high performance materials are required. In this case thermoplastics are preferred for their offer ease of processing and reprocessing (recycling).
• Using biobased resources is not the only route to closing carbon cycles. Recycling materials is equally important because it allows us to keep the chemical functionalities and the value of the materials longer.
• At the moment, we cannot replace all plastics with bioplastics and maybe we don’t have to. Plastics are beautiful, complex molecular designs: they are lightweight, they can be shaped at mild temperatures and they can be recycled. Plastics have been optimized over the past 50-60 years to serve many functionalities. It is not certain whether bioplastics allow for these functionalities.
• Switching to biobased materials for the same functionalities would require systemic changes that would challenge industry operations and our current comfort levels. Even if eventually it becomes technically possible, we should not underestimate the socio-cultural parameters of this transition.