This week’s UMaine CBE Distinguished Seminar Series will take place on Friday March 24, 2023, at 12:00pm in Soderberg Lecture Hall, Jenness Hall, University of Maine and features:
Dr. Monika Österberg
Professor and Head, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
School of Chemical Engineering
Aalto University
Functional lignocellulosic materials
ABSTRACT: In the talk Österberg will briefly introduce both the research going on in the Bioproducts and Biosystems department at Aalto University as well as in the FinnCERES Materials bioeconomy competence center.
In FinnCERES we utilize the inherent properties of lignocellulosic building blocks in materials design. However, sometimes it is not enough. The challenge lies in precisely transforming the lignocellulosic building blocks into products, which are equally competitive or better than plastics without sacrificing the crucial traits of lignocellulosics like biodegradability. Constructing such sophisticated structures from lignocellulosic materials requires a combination of controlling the surface interactions of the different components and efficient processing methods complementing these interactions. I will give a few examples the use of a simple emulsion strategy as a tool to design multifunctional biomaterials with superior properties, which are otherwise not realizable. These examples include construction of tough, multiresistant composites from cellulose nanofibrils, lignin nanoparticles and polycaprolactone without any need for chemical modification. The emulsion strategy was also employed to prepare lignin adhesives based on the combination of LNPs and epoxidized lignin. Lastly, I will show some example of 3D bioprinting and cell interactions of biomass-based hydrogels.
BIO: Professor Monika Österberg is a leading scientist in the colloidal lignin particle field. She has a polymer and surface chemistry education and over 15 years of experience in lignocellulosic nanoparticle research. Prof. Österberg is Head of the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems at the School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, leading the Bioproducts Chemistry research group advancing lignin valorization with a focus on lignin nanoparticles, lignocellulosic nanomaterials, and surface functionalization and understanding surface interactions. In addition, she is research PI of the FinnCERES Competence Centre for Materials Bioeconomy, jointly formed with Aalto and VTT Research Centre of Finland. Her research aims to enhance the sustainable use of natural resources, with research interests in fundamental interfacial phenomena of forest biomaterials like lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses, and the development of new materials from these polymers.
Please email Prof. Wujcik [Evan.Wujcik@maine.edu] or Prof. Walton [Sara.Walton@maine.edu] for a Zoom link, if you would like to attend virtually.