Given the current focus on sustainable economy and growth, it is imperative to invest in natural and renewable biopolymers and consequently biomaterials. Plastics based on mineral oils, which flood the market, in many areas of daily human life, tend to be replaced due to their negative impact on the environment. Biomass from marine, woody and agricultural residues, the most abundant renewable raw materials on earth, seems to be an excellent candidate for alternatives to mineral resources.
BIOMATERIALS
In medicine, the goal of biomaterials is to replace an organ of the body, which has been damaged by a disease, with a material, in order to restore the function of the respective organ, but without endangering life. This material is called biomaterial since it successfully replaces the normal organ and is accepted by the human body. In essence, a tissue or organ is transplanted with a biomaterial, which will be compatible with the biological environment and the function of the organism. Today, the interactions of biomaterials with tissues occupy a new science called tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is the management and planning of the development or treatment of a tissue regeneration or replacement wound.
It is a fact that materials physics is a promising field of science of the future. At BIOPOL we analyze and create innovative material structures with unprecedented, innovative properties, which affect all human activity from industry to medicine. Consequently, one can perceive the magnitude of the progress that is expected to be made in the near future judging by the one that has already been made in such a short period of time.
The biomaterial after its placement is in constant contact with the living tissues of the organism. The properties of the interface between biomaterial and tissue play an important role in the binding and compatibility of biomaterial. The stability and strength of the inner surface of the material are properties that we need to know in order to predict the behavior of biomaterials. For the final characterization of a material as biomaterial in BIOPOL systematic studies are carried out both in vitro and in vivo as well as at the level of mutations. Cardiac implants or orthopedic, ophthalmological, dental, dialysis systems, etc., should also be studied for their durability over time, in order to draw conclusions about their behavior in relation to the recipient host area of the body and with the whole condition of the patient. Biomaterials are designed to replace damaged or diseased parts of the body and therefore, from a biological point of view, their main goal is their acceptance by the body (biocompatible).
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanomaterials generally describe materials whose unit size is (at least one dimension) between 1 and 1000 nanometers (10-9 meters), but is usually between 1-100 nm.
Chemical sensors: Nanotechnology can create sensors that can be activated by a minimal amount of chemical substance. Some types of chemicals used in sensor technology are undergoing changes in their electrical properties and can now be detected at the molecular level.
Medicine: Researchers develop nanoparticles in the size of a molecule that can deliver an active pharmaceutical ingredient directly to the body’s cells.
Fabrics: Manufacture of fabrics enriched with nanoparticles that improve and add properties to fabrics without increasing weight or density.
Electronic devices: Nanotechnology can develop the capabilities of electrical devices while at the same time can reduce their weight and consumption.
BIOPOL has experience in the custom composition of small batches of various types of nanoparticles and nanocomposites using a variety of chemical techniques.
Bio-based additives
The chemistry of renewable resources applied to the production of commercial products represents a very important topic and has captured the attention of researchers of the academic and industrial world. In the past few years, researchers have given great emphasis to the synthesis of monomers and polymers beginning from renewable resources due to the increasing prices of petrochemical products associated with growing environmental concerns. Renewable resources, which are part of a greater term known as biomass and refer to any substance having recent biological origin, including plant materials, agricultural crops, and even animal manure. The most widely used renewable raw materials include wood, proteins, cellulose, lignin, tannins, starch, oleochemicals such as vegetable oils chitin and chitosan, etc. A variety of chemicals have been prepared from these biomass-derived materials. Several biobased additives are studied and synthesized by our company in an attempt to enhance the anti-oxidative and antibacterial stability of various materials. This is very important for several applications like food packaging, textiles and healthcare.
Tannic acid (TA) or tannin, a natural compound existing in a great variety of plants and fruits, presents excellent antibacterial activity and has already been approved as a human-use substance by the Food and Drug Association (FDA). In molecular lever, the structure of TA contains a central carbohydrate (glycose) core, which is esterified by phenolic groups (galloyl group). These hydroxyl groups provide several functionalities to TA, which can bind and interact strongly with polysaccharides and proteins and has many beneficial for the human properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Despite the fact that the mechanism of TA is not totally clear yet, the presence of a galloyl group (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoyl group) is considered as the major key to its antibacterial properties.