- Palestrante: Dr Janet L. Scott (University of Bath)
- 10 de abril de 2017 às 11h;
- Sala: 772
Abstract:
Cellulose is an abundant biopolymer. Indeed, it is one of the most rapidly renewed biopolymers on earth and there has been significant recent research focused on conversion of cellulose into its constituent sugars for subsequent fermentation to bioethanol. However, such applications do not take advantage of the exquisite structure of cellulose and its remarkable properties as a structural material. We focus on transformation of cellulose, by processing and minimal, but targeted, chemical modification, into a range of functional materials including tissue scaffolds produced by reactive ink-jet printing techniques, microbeads generated by continuous membrane emulsification and films and composites with properties ranging from printability to flame retardancy.
Here we present a range of such functional materials and describe both applications and the fundamental studies required to underpin such material diversity, from solubilisation of cellulose in “green” solvent systems, to interaction of hydrogel surfaces with living cells.
About Dr Janet L. Scott
Dr Janet L. Scott is a Reader in the Department of Chemistry and Training Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, UK (www.bath.ac.uk/chemistry/contacts/academics/janet-scott/). She is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Titular Member of Division III of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and Secretary of the newly formed Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development (ICGCSD). Previously Janet has worked in both industry and academia in three countries: Lecturer, Dept. Chemistry, University of Cape Town, South Africa, 1992-1996; R&D Manager Fine Chemicals Corporation Ltd., South Africa, 1996-1998; Research Fellow/Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Green Chemistry, Monash University, Australia, 1999-2006; Senior Marie Curie Transfer of Knowledge Fellow at Unilever, UK, 2006-2008. She ran her own small consulting company which specialized in technical management of Open Innovation projects for companies (Director JLS ChemConsult Ltd., UK, 2008-2015) and continues to consult to industry on topics of sustainability and sustainable chemical technologies. Current research is focused on the use of renewable raw materials, particularly cellulose and related polysaccharides, for the development of functional materials for a range of applications from recyclable electronics through formulation ingredients to tissue engineering scaffolds. Ranging from fundamental studies of physical chemistry through to applications, with a particular focus on technologies that can contribute to sustainability and enhance quality of life, research in Scott’s group is funded from a range of sources (EPSRC, Innovate UK, British Council, BBSRC and industry) and is always highly collaborative, conducted with tissue engineering experts, chemical engineers, experts in electrochemistry and enzymes, materials and synthetic chemists and social scientists as well as with industrial partners and international collaborators.