Daniel Langerreiter: Synthesis of cellulose based self-sterilizing materials via solid-state reactions

Content of the thesis: 

According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance has become a major threat to global health, food security and social development in the past decades. Among the recently developed strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, photodynamic inactivation (PDI) shows a high potential due to its multiorganism efficiency, and ubiquitous activation via visible light. Single-use antimicrobial materials are particularly valuable in situations such as natural disasters, where power sources can be impossible to access. However, such materials rely on the sustainable synthesis of photosensitizers and their immobilization on suitable bio-based polymer matrices. Mechanochemistry, a method where solvent use is drastically reduced, offers environmentally friendly synthesis approaches to achieve these goals. This thesis explored different aspects of developing a cellulosic photoactive hybrid material and a production process of its components, with subsequent projects building upon one another. The results provide a comparison of cellulosic hybrid materials prepared via covalent linkage and physical adsorption, which can be used against multi resistant organisms. By using solid-state reactions and mechanochemistry, a new modification method for cellulose and a synthesis pathway for phthalocyanines were developed.

Opponent: Professor Thomas Rosenau, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria

Supervisor: Professor Mauri Kostiainen, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering

Link to electronic thesis: Synthesis of cellulose based self-sterilizing materials via solid-state reactions

Link to the remote defence: LINK