Zero waste powder coating.

Sustainable materials

CSIRO is developing innovative technologies for the plastics industry in market
segments as diverse as aerospace, renewable energy and packaging.

• 22 March 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Capabilities 
• Facilities 
• Current research
• Industrial solutions  

As a key focus of CSIRO's Future Manufacturing Flagship, our Sustainable Materials research theme will create new technologies to grow and improve Australian manufacturing industry through the development and uptake of clean technology based products and processes, creating new ‘green’ jobs and extending domestic and export markets.

In partnership with both local and multinational organisations, Sustainable Materials focuses on fast tracking the development of:

• nanotechnologies to improve the performance, environmental footprint and functionality of petroleum-derived plastic products utilised in the transportation, energy, construction and packaging sectors
• the next generation of green bioderived and biodegradable plastic biocomposites and processes
• advanced functional coatings and surfaces that have the ability to respond to their surrounding environment. Potential outcomes include a range of futuristic polymeric materials that are super strong yet light weight, have imbedded functionality to autonomously repair damage, reflect heat, suppress fire, self clean or trigger degradability at end of life.

Capabilities

Sustainable Materials scientists work across a broad range of capabilities to deliver innovative solutions to multi-faceted challenges.

The group has world-class expertise in:

• surface and interface molecular/morphological design, which is employed to control:
  • nano- or conventional additive (reinforcement) dispersion
  • the interaction between components of composite materials and/or coatings
  • how the composite material or coating interacts with other entities or the environment
• composite and biocomposite formulation and processing
• high through-put combinatorial materials development
• computational materials design
• advanced materials characterisation and performance evaluation.

Facilities

The Sustainable Materials group has access to CSIRO’s state of the art polymer processing and coating facilities including:

• synthetic laboratories (including high through-put facilities)
• reactive milling
• laboratory and pilot scale single and twin screw extruders
• blown and cast film lines
• injection and compression molding
• UV/Vis curing facilities
• advanced composite pre-preg lines, VARTM and RTM facilities
• ambient and controlled temperature paint and powder coating booths
• industrial scale robotic surface treatment and painting lines
• atmospheric plasma/flame and graft chemical treatment lines.

Current research

Sustainable Materials undertakes both fundamental and applied research projects with its collaborators and commercial partners including research into:

• materials that respond to stimuli
  • self-healing materials that autonomously detect and repair damage
  • thermally switchable materials
  • polymeric materials with latent functionality.
• multi-functional polymeric materials systems
  • low toxicity fire resistance
  • conductive surfaces and bulk composites
  • anti-microbial
  • controlled degradation
  • surfaces that can self clean and shed ice
  • transparent coatings that filter light to improve durability, shelf life or to assist in thermal management.
• light weighting
  • exploitation of polymer biocomposites to replace conventional materials
  • controlled dispersion of nano-scale reinforcements and bulk modifiers
  • next generation resin systems.
• tailored surface engineering
  • bond strength and durability of coatings and adhesively bonded joints
  • triggered disassembly at end of life.
• improved performance of bio-derived and biodegradable composites
  • plastic films and composites derived from feedstocks based on starch, proteins, polyesters and natural fibres
  • understanding biodegradation mechanisms for design and development of high-performance bio-derived plastic materials with triggered biodegradability.
• clean manufacturing technologies aimed at improving Australian manufacturing industry
  • low environmental footprint materials
  • harnessing manufacturing waste
  • geopolymers - potential portland cement replacement
  • environmental monitoring and remediation.

Industrial solutions

Recent technological solutions that have been developed with our commercial partners supplying the aerospace, automotive, energy and packaging sectors include:

• surface engineering technologies that allow for unprecedented adhesion of bonded components and coatings for use in the automotive and construction industries
• advanced coatings technologies for the aerospace industry
• special screening nanocomposites for packaging
• fireworthy nanocomposites for the aerospace industry
• fire resistant cables
• biodegradable, starch-based packaging
• protein-based additives for strengthening paperboards
• natural fibre composites for the logistics industry.

Learn more about the Future Manufacturing Flagship.