BikiarisLab wishes you a happy new year!

2021 has certainly been a difficult year, with the worldwide affecting also research activities worldwide. We at BikiarisLab prioritized the health of our members with balancing our presence in the lab and working remotely, always in accordance with the protective measures being implemented in Greece.

The role of polymer scientists is even more prominent nowadays, not only owning the general shift towards a circular economy, but also because of the profound effect the pandemic has on the plastic pollution [1,2]. Our work on biobased and biodegradable polymers, which are the prominent alternatives for petroleum-based commodity plastics will continue in 2022, and we are hoping it will allow us to contribute to the acceleration of the transition in a greener plastics future.

Let's take a look at some highlights from the activities of BikiarisLab in 2021!

Distinctions

The year kicked-off great for BikiarisLab, as prof. Bikiaris ranked 2nd in all of Aristotle University, and 13th among the scientists based in Greece. In the subfield of Polymers, prof. Bikiaris is ranked 91st among all the scientists in the database, showcasing the impact of his work on Polymer Science worldwide.

In November, two members of BikiarisLab, Mr. Lazaros Papadopoulos (AUTH) and Ms. Eleftheria Xanthopoulou (University of Ioannina) were granted Virtual Mobility Grants via the COST action Fur4Sustain.

Original research published in international scientific journals

In total, the papers published from prof. Bikiaris in 2021 were 55. You can find all of our work on google scholar or Research Gate.

Below we showcase indicative articles from a variety of our research interests.

Topic: Biobased polymers

Poly(propylene vanillate): A Sustainable Lignin-Based Semicrystalline Engineering Polyester

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 3, 1383–1397

Synthesis, Crystallization, Structure Memory Effects, and Molecular Dynamics of Biobased and Renewable Poly(n-alkylene succinate)s with n from 2 to 10

Macromolecules 2021, 54, 3, 1106–1119

Effectiveness of Esterification Catalysts in the Synthesis of Poly(Ethylene Vanillate)

Catalysts 2021, 11(7), 822

Unlocking the potential of furan-based poly(ester amide)s: an investigation of crystallization, molecular dynamics and degradation kinetics of novel poly(ester amide)s based on renewable poly(propylene furanoate)

Polym. Chem., 2021,12, 5518-5534

Tuning thermal properties and biodegradability of poly(isosorbide azelate) by compositional control through copolymerization with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Polymer Degradation and Stability

Volume 195, January 2022, 109804

Topic: Microplastics

Insights into the toxicity of biomaterials microparticles with a combination of cellular and oxidative biomarkers

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Volume 413, 2021, 125335

Adverse effects polystyrene microplastics exert on zebrafish heart – Molecular to individual level

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Volume 416, 2021, 125969

Aging effects on low- and high-density polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene under UV irradiation: An insight into decomposition mechanism by Py-GC/MS for microplastic analysis

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis

Volume 158, 2021, 105207

Topic: Polymers for biomedical applications

Benefit of coupling heparin to crosslinked collagen I/III scaffolds for human dermal fibroblast subpopulations' tissue growth

J Biomed Mater Res. 2021; 1- 15

Super absorbent chitosan-based hydrogel sponges as carriers for caspofungin antifungal drug

International Journal of Pharmaceutics

Volume 606, 2021, 120925

Poly(l-Lactic Acid)-co-poly(Butylene Adipate) New Block Copolymers for the Preparation of Drug-Loaded Long Acting Injectable Microparticles

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(7), 930

Preliminary Evaluation of 3D Printed Chitosan/Pectin Constructs for Biomedical Applications

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(1), 36

Vanillin chitosan miscible hydrogel blends and their prospects for 3D printing biomedical applications

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Volume 192, 2021, 1266-1275

Review articles

Recommendations for replacing PET on packaging, fiber, and film materials with biobased counterparts

Green Chem., 2021,23, 8795-8820

Adsorption of Uranium, Mercury, and Rare Earth Elements from Aqueous Solutions onto Magnetic Chitosan Adsorbents: A Review

Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3137

Insights into Biodegradable Polymer-Supported Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation

Macromol 2021, 1(3), 201-233

Microplastics in the environment: Sampling, pretreatment, analysis and occurrence based on current and newly-exploited chromatographic approaches

Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 148725

Chitosan Adsorbent Derivatives for Pharmaceuticals Removal from Effluents: A Review

Macromol 2021, 1(2), 130-154

Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties—From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications

Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1822

Research projects

In 2021, we succesfully concluded 3 nationally funded reasearch projects (MicroS4pMDI, BIODERMA and CellSuc).

2021 also marked the beggining of BIOMAC, an ambitious H2020 project that we coordinate. 33 Organisations, 100+ researchers and professionals from 12 European countries join forces toestablish an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) Ecosystem capable of upscaling the market-readiness and production of Nano structured bio-based materials.

In an effort to raise consumer awareness on biobased polymers as well as communicate the BIOMAC project, prof. Bikiaris and other members of our lab talked to two local TV channels. More information and videos here.

BikiarisLab participates in the I-SMarD H2020 project, which started in April 2021. I-SMarD is an EU funded project that aims to the sustainable development (i.e. design, fabrication and evaluation) of the next generation dental implants, using advanced manufacturing techniques and novel nanomaterials.

Participantions in conferences

The presence of BikiarisLab in conferences on the topics of our interest was prominent in 2021. More specifically, we participated in the 5th EuChemS Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry with 8 poster presentations, and with multiple oral and poster presentations in the 13th Hellenic Polymer Society International Conference.

Meetings and other activities

Prof. Bikiaris and other members of the lab had the opportunity to visit colleagues and participate in meetings and communicate our activities.

Despite all the hurdles we faced in 2021, BikiarisLab had a very succesful year, and we couldn't be more grateful. We are thankful for all of our collaborators, as the collaborations are what truly elevate the quality and impact of any scientific work.

From our entire team, we want to wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!