Biological Materials

OUR VISION

The Biological Materials Group

The Biological Materials Group, led by Professor Jörg Müssig, is a highly motivated group of people with diverse backgrounds working on topics across bioinspired and biomimetic composites and the value-added chain of natural fibres.

We offer a broad field of competencies in research and development. Our activities are part of regional, national and international networks.

Research topics

The Biological Materials Group focuses on bioinspired, biomimetic and bio-based materials and the value chain of natural fibres and fibre-reinforced composites. We investigate structure-property relationships of biological structures and manufactured materials to develop sustainable products.

Skills and equipment

We offer:

Research & studies
Material & product development
Material testing
Research cooperation
Research assignment

We, therefore, have a broad range of equipment available, including:

Characterisation of fibres (bending and tensile properties, fibre fineness and fibre length)
Characterisation of composites, polymers and biological materials (tensile, bending, compression and torsion tests, impact test, fibre content, HDT and MFI)
Investigation of the fibre/matrix adhesion (pull-out, microbond and fragmentation test, interlaminar shear strength)
Microscopy techniques in combination with image analysis
Composite production methods (winding, pultrusion, compression moulding, vacuum infusion)
Compound development and 3D printing

PROJECTS

OUR TEAM

The Biological Materials Group of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Müssig is a team of highly motivated people with diverse backgrounds who are engaged in topics related to sustainable materials, bioinspired and biomimetic composite materials, and the value chain of natural fibres.

Alumni

Dr. Tim Huber; now at Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology - LIST, Luxembourg
Dr.-Ing. Eike Volkmann; now at OHB SE, Germany
Dr. David Labonte; now at Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, England
Stephan Richter; now at Institut für Innovation und Technik, Germany
Dr.-Ing. Anja Mader; now at Grünhof GmbH, Germany
Dr.-Ing, Katharina Haag; now at Fraunhofer- IFAM, Germany
Dr.-Ing. Katharina Albrecht
Dr.-Ing. Shaoliang Wang; now at Acal BFi Germany GmbH
Birgit Uhrlaub; now at Fraunhofer- IFAM, Germany
Andy Dentel; now at Miele KG, Germany
Niels Kühn; now at Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V., Germany
Milan Kelch; now at Fraunhofer- IFAM, Germany
Tim Dunker; now at IQ Intelligentes Ingenieur Management GmbH, Germany
Dr. Christopher Dreimol; now at Empa, Switzerland
David Weber now at OPTIMA pharma GmbH
Armin Schmid; now at Pilzschmiede
Vincent Röhl; now at EJOT SE & Co. KG, Germany
Lea Schönfeld
Jan-Marten Sprenger; now at Fraunhofer- IFAM, Germany
Regine Hirschberg; now at UTEC Ingenieurbüro, Germany

Student assistents

Maischa Bergrath
Lasse Drengemann
Maurizio Giesler Garcia
Laura Oliva
Amy Pfennig
Niklas Prochnow
Phillipp Reh
Jonah Tölke
Timon Vorwig

Join us

If you are interested in joining our interdisciplinary team for PhD projects, B.Sc. or M.Sc. theses, please send us your application including curriculum vitae and research interests. We are always looking for new team members.

If you are interested in doing a Bachelor's or Master's thesis in our research group, please get in touch with us first with your CV and a brief explanation of your research interests.
Master's thesis: Development of bio-inspired Joining and Disassembly Processes for Natural Fibre Composites:
This thesis aims to develop innovative joining and disassembly concepts inspired by natural role models for natural fibre composites in order to improve their recyclability and dismantlability. Based on a literature review of natural joining principles and an analysis of existing processes, suitable concepts will be derived, designed and implemented in exemplary fashion. An experimental investigation will be carried out regarding assembly and disassembly capability, as well as mechanical characterisation.

Bachelor thesis: Mechanical and Morphological Characterisation of Cattail (Typha spp.) and Biomimetic Adaptation using a Bio-Push Approach:
This bachelor's thesis focuses on the mechanical and morphological characterisation of cattail (Typha spp.) as a potential role model for bio-inspired lightweight structural materials. The structure-property relationship will be experimentally analysed to identify characteristic properties and functional principles. Based on these findings, a biomimetic adaptation will be developed within a bio-push approach and conceptually transferred to technical applications.
If you are interested in joining our research group, please get in touch with us first with your CV and a brief explanation of your research interests and experimental skills.

EXTERNAL IMPACT

GREENBOATS, together with the Biological Materials Group at Hochschule Bremen (HSB) and the French company Depestele, has been nominated for the prestigious JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2024 in the category CIRCULARITY & RECYCLING. The nomination recognises their achievements and joint commitment to advanced materials research and development within the composites industry. Through their collaboration, the partners are setting new benchmarks for sustainability and innovation in sustainable mobility and circular composite solutions.
The Bremen University Prize for Excellent Teaching was awarded for the first time on the 3rd of November 2020 by the Senator for Science and Ports, Dr Claudia Schilling. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Müssig and his working group took the second prize of 15,000 € for the “Research-based Learning” contribution. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Müssig and his team have successfully applied the didactic approach of research-based learning to their entire teaching programme. In this way, they enable students on the bachelor’s degree course in biomimetics at HSB to receive an very research-oriented learning experience over their studies.
Vincent Röhl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Susanna Labisch and Professor Dr.-Ing. Jörg Müssig received the 2^nd prize in the “Biomimetic & Design” category.

The prize was awarded for developing software to reproduce the internal structure of biological role models and analyse any two-dimensional FEM models concerning the optimal alignment of support structures.
The transnational Ems-Dollart-Region project "Bio-economy in the non-food sector" was awarded a prize in the "Bre3D Award" competition organised by the state of Bremen. The BioEconomy consortium project received second prize in the "Materials " category with its entry "Biobased & Hierarchical Structures in 3D Printing".

Professor Dr Jörg Müssig's Biological Materials Working Group at the Biomimetic Innovation Centre at HSB received the award on behalf of the BioEconomy consortium (3N Competence Centre Renewable Resources and Bioeconomy, Werlte / NHL Stenden - Green PAC, University of Applied Sciences, Emmen, Netherlands / Linotech GmbH & Co.KG, Forst / HSB, Bremen).
The paper “Natural and man-made cellulose fibre-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites: An overview about mechanical characteristics and application areas”, authored by Nina Graupner, Axel Hermann and Jörg Müssig and published in Composites Part A in 2009 was selected for most highly cited paper award in 2015. The authors were the second recipients of this award for the research paper, receiving the largest number of citations in the preceding five years.
Winner of the Honda Initiation Grant Europe (HIGE) 2015. Honda desires to have more extensive interactions with European universities to boost both Honda's research and university academic research and started the European initiation grant program to promote to fund innovative research projects. The primary purpose of this program is to support novel and exciting ideas in an early stage of development. In 2015 Professor Jörg Müssig and Katharina Albrecht won the 30.000 Euro endowed grant with the project Recycled Carbon Fibres for Crash-relevant Components.

OUR PARTNERS

The Biological Materials Group cooperates with national and international partners, a selection of which is presented below:

3N Kompetenzzentrum, Werlte, Germany
Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp, Paris, France
BAFA Neu GmbH, Ettlingen, Germany
BORCO HÖHNS GmbH, Rotenburg (Wümme), Germyn
Circular Structures, Bremen, Germany
Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College, London, England
FUSE GmbH, Zwenkau, Germany
INRAe, Nantes, France
KiwiFibre Innovations Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand
L.I.S.T., Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Materials Science and Design at the University of Cambridge's Department of Architecture, Cambridge, England
nova-Institut GmbH, Hürth, Germany
Sachsen-Leinen e.V., Markkleeberg, Germany
School of Architecture & Product Design, University of Limerick, Ireland
Université Bretagne Sud, UBS – IRDL, Lorient, France

Biological Materials

OUR VISION

The Biological Materials Group

Research topics

Skills and equipment

ABOUT US

RESEARCH

PROJECTS

Network

OUR TEAM

Permanent staff

Group leader

Senior researcher

Scientific coworkers

Alumni

Student assistents

Join us

Master's thesis: Development of bio-inspired Joining and Disassembly Processes for Natural Fibre Composites:

Bachelor thesis: Mechanical and Morphological Characterisation of Cattail (Typha spp.) and Biomimetic Adaptation using a Bio-Push Approach:

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OUR PUBLICATIONS

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EXTERNAL IMPACT

OUR PARTNERS

OUR VISION

The Biological Materials Group

Research topics

Skills and equipment

PROJECTS

Ongoing Projects

Finished Projects

OUR TEAM

Alumni

Student employees in the working group

Join us

Bachelor- & Masterthesis

Student coworkers

Research positions

OUR PUBLICATIONS

Publications in Journals

Publications in Books

Presentations & Conferences

EXTERNAL IMPACT

Nomination for the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2024

Bremen University Award 2020 for excellent academic teaching, 2020

Bre3D Award for the concept “Load-oriented alignment of support structures according to biological models”, 2018

Award for the EDR project "Bio-economy" in the field of 3D printing, 2018

Most highly cited paper award of the Journal Composite Part A in 2015

Honda Initiation Grant Europe (HIGE), 2015

OUR PARTNERS