Triantafyllidis Research Group
Coordinator
Gruppo Gaser
Duration
1/6/2022-31/6/2026
Budget
€ 4.834.592,50
SCOPE
FreeMe is an EU-funded research and innovation project contributing to the development of safe- and sustainable-by-design metallic coatings and engineered surfaces. The FreeMe project aims to eliminate the use of toxic and carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) and critical raw material palladium (Pd) from the Plating on Plastics (PoP) process, by proposing two safe- and sustainable-by-design approaches for the metallization of polymeric surfaces, based on REACH compliant chemicals.
TECHNOLOGIES
OBJECTIVES
- To implement a safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) strategy.
- To develop a metallization technology of plastic surfaces based on REACH compliant sprayable UV-curable composite biobased resins.
- To develop Cr6+ free etching technologies for plastics pre-treatment.
- To develop in-silico techniques (simulation and modelling).
- To develop fast and accurate inspection method for the QC of the process.
- To assess the recyclability of coated polymers.
- To develop a data driven Decision Support Tool.
- To facilitate the acceptance of the new technologies by the market through standardization activities.
END USER APPLICATIONS
Role & Involvement of AUTH
Main Role in WP3
Main task of AUTH is the development and optimization of UV curable epoxy and epoxy-acrylate resins from biomass-derived platform chemicals, i.e. isosorbide and itaconic acid, as well as of their (nano)composites with nickel nanoparticles. The resins will be studied and optimized towards the formation of rigid thin (< 2μm) polymeric films on polymeric substrates (i.e. ABS, PC, etc.), that will serve as substrates for the application of conductive metal coatings and the final metallization of the plastic surface.
PROJECT PARTNERS
