Since March 9, we are pleased to welcome Daniela Joel to the the Polymeric Materials department. She joins our team as a laboratory technician. We wish her every success in her work and warmly welcome her to the group.
Dr. Nils Münstermann Receives Third Poster Award at the 15th EUCHIS International Conference
June 8th, 2026 | by Paul Marten
Dr. Nils Münstermann received the Third Poster Award at the 15ᵗʰ EUCHIS International Conference of the European Chitin Society. The international conference brings together researchers in the field of chitin and chitosan research and provides a platform for scientific exchange as well as the presentation of current research findings.
The award recognizes the quality and relevance of the presented results on the interactions between chitosan itaconate and lignocellulosic materials. It also highlights the international visibility of Dr. Münstermann’s research and the significance of the topic within the scientific community.
We warmly congratulate Dr. Nils Münstermann on this recognition and are pleased about his successful contribution to the conference.
Photo: Katja Richter
New Publication: Particleboards from biogenic Residues: Turning Waste into High-Performance Materials
May 11th, 2026 | by Münstermann, Nils
Particleboards are almost indispensable in furniture manufacturing and interior construction. However, many conventional wood-based materials are produced using petrochemical binders, which are neither fully bio-based nor easily biodegradable.
We show that there is a more sustainable way: stable wood fibreboards can be produced from fast-growing plant residues such as miscanthus, hemp shives and Japanese knotweed. Chitosan itaconate serves as the binder, obtained from food-industry residues and itaconic acid.
During hot pressing, the binder polymerizes into a water-insoluble interpolyelectrolyte complex. This results in fibreboards with remarkable properties: their flexural strength reaches up to 76.5 N/mm², clearly exceeding typical MDF values and approaching that of solid spruce wood. At the same time, the fibreboards remain dimensionally stable upon contact with water, are compostable and showed self-extinguishing behaviour in fire tests.
What makes this approach particularly exciting is its versatility. The binder works with a wide range of cellulose- and lignin-containing plant materials. This could allow regional residues to be processed locally into high-quality building and furniture materials in the future. We are convinced that this represents a promising step towards wood-based materials that are strong, safe and circular. Our aim is to transform waste materials into true high-performance materials.
N. Münstermann, O. Weichold
High-strength particleboards from fast-growing plant residues and food-industry by-products using chitosan-itaconate as orthogonal binder platform
Industrial Crops and Products, 2026, 245, 123251 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.123251
New scientific employee
May 2nd, 2026 | by Münstermann, Nils
Jovana Obradovic has joined our working group since May 1. We’re glad to have her as part of the team and wish her all the best and much success in her upcoming work!
New scientific employee
April 1st, 2026 | by Münstermann, Nils
Malgorzata Augspurger has joined our working group since April 1. We’re glad to have her as part of the team and wish her all the best and much success in her upcoming work!
New Publication: From Shell Waste to Strong Wood Glue: The Future of Bio-Based Adhesives
March 15th, 2026 | by Münstermann, Nils
Sustainable adhesives are becoming increasingly important, especially in applications where petrochemical resins containing problematic substances such as formaldehyde still dominate. Our latest study now shows that chitosan-based wood adhesives are a promising bio-based alternative. Chitosan is derived from chitin, a natural polymer found, among other sources, in the shells of crustaceans and generated in large quantities as a by-product of the food industry.
Two fully bio-based adhesive systems were investigated: chitosan itaconate and chitosan maleate. Both are based on renewable raw materials and were specifically developed for wood bonding. What is particularly interesting is that the acids used not only solubilize the chitosan, but also enable curing into a stable network. Both acids can be obtained via biofermentation, making the adhesive system entirely bio-based.
The results are remarkable: in the dry state, both adhesives met the requirements of DIN EN 12765 class C1 and exhibited so-called cohesive wood failure. This means that under mechanical stress, it was not the adhesive bond that failed, but the wood itself. Chitosan itaconate, in particular, also performed well under wet conditions: after treatment in boiling water, its bond strength remained at 2.7 N/mm², close to the demanding C4 class.
Chitosan itaconate is therefore a promising candidate for wood bonding applications requiring moderate moisture resistance, such as interior construction or semi-exposed uses. Chitosan maleate also showed good dry adhesion, but lost significant stability upon contact with water.
In conclusion, bio-based wood adhesives made from chitosan are far more than a niche concept. Chitosan itaconate in particular combines renewable raw materials with convincing adhesive performance and could represent an important step toward more environmentally friendly materials in the wood industry.
N. Münstermann, O. Weichold
Chitosan-itaconate and chitosan-maleate as fully bio-based sustainable wood adhesives
International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 2026, 149, 104327 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2026.104327
New publication: Moisture absorption in cationic hydrogels
November 11th, 2025 | by Ece Durdagi
We are delighted to present another study by our working group in the specialist journal Polymers. In their latest publication, Tim Mrohs and Oliver Weichold show how the water absorption behaviour of diallylammonium-based hydrogels can be specifically controlled by cross-linking density and ionic interactions. The results provide design rules for moisture control, demonstrate endothermic sorption processes and shed light on how reversible ionic crosslinks can improve water absorption.
Mrohs, T.; Weichold, O.
Dynamic water vapour sorption behaviour of crosslinked polycationic diallylammonium-based hydrogels
Polymers 2025, 10.1016/j.polymer.2025.129219
PhD Completed with Distinction: Dr. Nils Münstermann
October 31st, 2025 | by Paul Marten
We congratulate Dr. Nils Münstermann on the successful completion of his PhD, which he passed with distinction (summa cum laude).
In his dissertation entitled “Bio-Based Chitosan Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes for the Coating and Bonding of Wood-Based Materials”, he investigated chitosan itaconate as a fully bio-based and multifunctional material system. The developed coating and adhesive systems open up new possibilities for improving the water resistance, UV protection and fire performance of wood-based materials and combine the use of renewable raw materials with application-oriented solutions for the construction and wood industries.
We are delighted that Dr. Nils Münstermann will remain at the institute as a research group leader and wish him every success in his future scientific work.
Our group at the K-Messe 2025 in Düsseldorf
October 14th, 2025 | by Ece Durdagi
On 9 October, our entire working group visited the K-Messe in Düsseldorf, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber. We learned about the latest developments in sustainable materials and innovative processing technologies. The exchange with industry partners and research institutions provided valuable inspiration for our own work and future projects.
Lecture Award for Prof. Weichold at the Coatings Conference 2025
September 19th, 2025 | by Ece Durdagi
At this year’s Coatings Conference 2025 in Aachen, Prof. Weichold received the lecture award. He presented the talk “Wood on the Rise – Sustainable Protection for a Building Material with a Future.”
