When plastics glow: invisible innovation with great impact
FunPolMark developed fluorescent markers for plastics, enabling better tracking of material states, processes, and recycling.
Programm: COMET – Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies
Förderlinie: COMET-K1
Projekttyp: FunPolMark , 01/2025 - 12/2028 , strateg.
WHEN PLASTICS GLOW: INVISIBLE INNOVATION WITH GREAT IMPACT
WITHIN THE FUNPOLMARK PROJECT, NOVEL FLUORESCENT MARKERS WERE DEVELOPED THAT CAN BE PERMANENTLY INCORPORATED INTO PLASTICS. INITIAL RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THESE MARKERS ENABLE IMPROVED ASSESSMENT OF MATERIAL CONDITION, THERMAL STRESS AND SELECTED PROCESSING HISTORIES IN THE FUTURE – EVEN IN COLORED OR HIGHLY FILLED PLASTICS. THIS CREATES A PROMISING FOUNDATION FOR NEW APPROACHES IN QUALITY ASSURANCE, PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY.
Plastics play an essential role across almost all industrial sectors. At the same time, requirements for durability, resource efficiency and recyclability continue to grow. To recycle and utilize materials more effectively in the future, new technological solutions are needed.
This is where the COMET project FunPolMark comes in. The project aims to develop fluorescent markers that can be stably integrated into a wide range of plastic systems. In the future, these markers are intended to make information on material condition, thermal stress and processing history more readily accessible.
Within the project, coumarin-based markers were developed that can be covalently bonded to polymer chains or surfaces. Initial investigations indicate high stability, even under elevated temperatures, humid conditions, and after washing or solvent exposure. Two particularly promising integration routes were successfully explored:
In-process functionalization: Markers can be incorporated directly into plastics during processing, for example during extrusion. In the long term, this offers strong potential for cost- efficient industrial implementation.
Post-process surface functionalization: In addition, methods were developed to selectively apply markers onto plastic surfaces. In the future, this could enable localized labeling or the creation of functional sensing areas. The results achieved so far indicate that fluorescence-based readout methods could be suitable for extracting additional information directly from plastic components. In the long term, this may open up new applications, for example in quality control, material identification, or the improved assessment of recycling streams.
FunPolMark demonstrates how industrial challenges can be transformed into innovative technologies through application-oriented research.
Impact and effects
Economic perspectives
- Potential for new products in the field of smart materials
- Perspectives for more efficient quality control
- Possible competitive advantages for industrial partners through innovative functionalization technologies
New application fields in recycling and material tracking
Ecological perspectives
- Long-term support for a more efficient circular economy
- Improved separation and identification of plastics, leading to higher recyclate quality
- Potential to extend product lifetimes through better condition assessment
Scientific impact
- New insights into the covalent functionalization of polymers
- Development of know-how at the interface of polymer chemistry, sensing and processing
- Basis for further research and development projects
Projektkoordination (Story)
DI Dr Elisabeth Rossegger
Bereichsleiterin
Polymer Competence Center Leoben
T +43 660 3073631
elisabeth.rossegger@pccl.at
PCCL GmbH
Sauraugasse 1
A-8700 Leoben
T +43 3842 429 62-0
office@pccl.at
www.pccl.at
Project partner
- Technical University of Graz, Austria
- Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, Austria
Download
Funding Body
This success story was approved for publication by the centre management and the project partners mentioned. This research pr oject (funding number: 911658) was funded by COMET – Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies – through BMIMI (Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure), BMWET (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism) and the co -financing federal provinces (Styria via SFG, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg), and carried out with the participation of scientific and industrial partners. The COMET Programme is managed by FFG. Further information on COMET: www.ffg.at/comet
