Dr. Jugal Kumawat

Project

Paper has established itself as a forward-looking material due to its sustainability, environmental friendliness, and versatile properties. Its applications range from lightweight construction to use as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastics. Nevertheless, its high sensitivity to moisture is a significant limitation that considerably impairs both its mechanical stability and usability in humid environments. Improving the wet strength of paper is therefore of central importance, especially in industries such as construction and packaging. Current approaches, such as water-repellent coatings, are promising, but they make recycling more difficult and increase costs. In this project, a scale-bridging simulation approach is used to analyze the fracture mechanisms of paper in both dry and wet conditions. This approach opens up the possibility of developing optimization strategies to establish paper as a resilient and sustainable building material of the future.

We thank the Hans-und-Ria-Messer-Stiftung for funding this project.