Building materials like insect exoskeletons

The Carl Zeiss Foundation supports a project to research chitin as a basis for smart materials [ Picture: Universität Stuttgart/Dahy] - Chitin is the main component of the exoskeletons of insects, spiders, and crustaceans and ensures, for example, that an insect exoskeleton is both robust and flexible. A research group led by Prof. Sabine Laschat at the University of Stuttgart wants to use chitin and its derivatives to develop materials in a water-based process that are suitable for special applications in the construction industry to reduce energy consumption in a sustainable manner. The Carl Zeiss Foundation is supporting the project with about EUR two million as part of its "Perspectives" funding line. As a polymer, chitin is widespread in nature and has fascinating mechanical and optical properties that scientists would like to make technically usable. Chitin-based materials would be particularly attractive because they are hydrophobic and, unlike cellulose-based materials, cannot absorb water, which makes them resistant to mold. In addition, they become fireproof through chemical modification, are mechanically very robust and, unlike synthetic polymers, are compostable. However, the technical use of chitin so far is still in its infancy, as the polymer can only be modified (processed) in a solution with difficulty.