| The European forest-based sector is actively seeking product concepts in order to valorise the potential of the renewable resources and to create new markets which can support the renewal of the forest based industry. In addition, several other industrial sectors, including packaging and immunodiagnostics, are searching for sustainable and non-petroleum based material alternatives to substitute e.g. synthetic plastic films.
To this end, the overall aim of this proposal is to exploit the inherent features of selected plant cell wall components in order to develop smart and tunable films with controlled response upon exposure to external stimuli such as moisture, UV, temperature or the presence of biomolecules. The objective is to demonstrate the potential of such films not only in highly relevant packaging purposes but to go significantly beyond state-of-the-art to explore possibilities for completely new materials solutions. These include functional materials such as smart films, humidity sensors, and bioactive films for rapid diagnostics and immunoassays. Finally, the ultimate goal is to combine the specific developed functionalities to construct smart and intelligent packaging solutions where high oxygen and moisture barrier properties and excellent mechanical performance are combined with antimicrobial and responsive features. The final packaging solution will be selected according to the given purpose, feasibility and legislation issues in which sustainability as well as health and safety issues are carefully considered.
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