Chitin fluid: Chitin as a resource for multifunctional materials via water-based complex fluids

The biopolymer chitin is the main component of the exoskeleton of insects, spiders and crustaceans. Despite its promising mechanical and optical features, the technical use of chitin as a material is still in its infancy. Chitin-based materials can become fire-resistant through chemical modification, are mold-resistant, mechanically very robust and, unlike synthetic polymers, compostable. The goal of the project is to develop water-based processing of chitin and its derived materials into smart materials. Since the construction sector accounts for more than 35% of global final energy consumption and nearly 45% of global resource consumption, the use for specialty applications in this sector is being investigated.