Maastricht University (UM) – Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM)
Maastricht University (UM) is the most international university in the Netherlands and, with 18,000 students and 4,400 employees, is still growing. The university stands out for its innovative education model, international character and multidisciplinary approach to research and education. Thanks to its high-quality research and study programmes as well as a strong focus on social engagement, UM has quickly built up a solid reputation. Today it is considered one of the best young universities in the world.
One of its research institutes is Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM). The AMIBM conducts research on biobased materials in a so-called value chain approach, spanning new and modified high quality biological sources, new chemical building blocks, new polymer chemistry and polymer physics, polymer processing and innovative technical and medical textile applications. In all these areas, the AMIBM focuses on the sustainability of materials and processes from resource to application and recycling of materials. The aim is to create new materials in a cleaner world, making use of biobased renewable resources. Seven research lines can be identified which cover the value chain: Molecular and Applied Biotechnology, Biobased Monomers and Polymers, Polymer Physics and Technology, Polymer Engineering, Biobased Materials for Medicine, and Sustainability of Materials.
The AMIBM was established as an international academic research institute embedded in the Brightlands Chemelot Campus with crossovers to the other Brightlands Campuses. It was founded as a joint institute of Maastricht University, RWTH-Aachen University and Fraunhofer IME (Aachen) and has, since 2019, established a strong collaboration with the DWI Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials (Aachen). The AMIBM comprises teams with transdisciplinary competence, including experts in biotechnology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, medicine and sustainability, working in fully-equipped laboratories with state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
AMIBM scientists are also involved in educational programs, contributing their knowledge to the Maastricht Science Program, Biobased Materials Master, and University College Maastricht. AMIBM researchers helping establish new Bachelor’s degree programs in topics such as Business Engineering and Circular Engineering, and will be involved in the development of new Master’s degree programs such as Biotechnology and Sustainable Manufacturing.
Furthermore, the AMIBM works together with more than 50 industrial partners in the (Eu)region, Europe and worldwide. This large network of institutes, companies and public-private partnerships has led to many new projects in which the AMIBM is a participant or coordinator.
Activities in the project
The activities of AMIBM mainly focusses on WP5: spinning, weaving and prototypes. AMIBM, which combines process development expertise and scale-up facilities for the production of new textile products (extrusion, spinning, weaving, prototype) has ample experience in the development of biobased fibres and yarns. NEX and VBG are industrial leaders in the textile fibre and fishing gear industry, respectively. They are typical lead users: companies that are looking for solutions to problems long before industry at large does so. Moreover, ICO, NEX and VBG already form a functioning value chain for fishing gear, which boosts the chances of successful market introduction of the Glaukos fishing gear. Interaction between AMIBM, B4P, ICO, NEX and VBG will result in the development of yarns that are compatible with industrial equipment.
AMIBM avails highly sophisticated lab equipment for polymer characterization, melt compounding, melt spinning, filament characterization, filament processing and textile demonstrator development. Labs are equipped with thermal analysis techniques i.e. DSC, TGA, rheological analysis techniques i.e. capillary rheometer, parallel plate rheometer, morphology analysis techniques i.e. FTIR, NMR, WAXD, SEM and many other analytical instruments. Filaments can be characterized for their mechanical, shrinkage and morphology properties at AMIBM labs.
Contacts
Gunnar Seide: gunnar.seide@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Ermo Daniels: ermo.daniels@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Website
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/aachen-maastricht-institute-biobased-materials