Sustainable and Functional Polyamides and Polyesteramides as Advanced Biopolymers and Biomaterials

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Malte Winnacker
• Subject Area: Polymer Materials ; Biomaterials ; Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 445011287

Within this project, I by myself will mainly care about the synthesis and analysis of different biopolymers based on terpenes. A monomer platform (“construction box”) for many sustainable polymers with custom-made properties and functions will thus be (further) established. We will learn about many structure-property-relations, and the adjustment of polymer properties via natural chiral monomers is a main advantage and “selling point” here. The PhD student and additional master students are supposed to synthesize, functionalize and utilize these and further different polymers (polyamides, polyesteramides and polyesters) to obtain biomaterials, e.g. for the directed interactions with living cells with regards to applications in tissue engineering, as well as further specified utilizations. Important topics to be investigated are e.g. copolymers of polyamides and polyethylene glycol (PEG) or – respectively - with thermoresponsive polyvinylphosphonates, as well as bioconjugates of polyamides and polyesteramides with functional peptides. Surface properties, mechanical properties, as well as the behavior of cells (proliferation, viability, adhesion, …) in dependence on these properties will also be elucidated.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants