They prepare new biopolymer materials with antibacterial and antifungal potential – UACh News

The visit of the doctoral student Enrique Francis (PhD Program in Chemistry at the University of Castilla La Mancha -UCLM-) lasts for 3 months, which aims to work on the preparation of new materials based on hydrogels composed of a mixture of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and alcohols of natural origin to study their mechanical, thermodynamic and biological properties, which also have antibacterial and antifungal properties that could be used in the food and/or pharmaceutical industries.

This training was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the Organometallic Chemistry and Sustainable Catalysis (ORCATS) research group led by Dr. Agustin Lara (at the University of California) and Molecular Catalysis and Synthesis Laboratory(Oilpolymers), directed by Dr. Javier Martínez of the Universidad Austral de Chile, who also leads the FONDECYT Iniciación 11230124 project entitled “Preparation of high value-added products such as polyesters and cyclic carbonates catalyzed by metal-free cyclotriphosphazene compounds.

“We are sure that it will be a very fruitful and profitable stay that will strengthen international collaboration between the two research groups,” said Dr. Javier Martinez, researcher at UACh.

Regarding the latter, the researchers propose that Enrique Francis focus in this international collaboration on two lines of research, one focused on the preparation of hydrogels in collaboration with Dr. Mario Flores of the Polymer Laboratory (@Lapolimera) and the other focused on the manufacture of bioplastics using biocatalysts in the laboratory of Dr. Javier Martínez (@oilpolymeros).

“I am very excited to be in Chile, specifically in Valdivia. It is my first time in South America. I am very happy with the reception of the research, the quality of the research and the humanity,” the Spanish researcher stressed.

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