Enhancing the Sustainability of PhotopolymERs ANd phoToinduced prOcesses (ESPERANTO)

世界语（增强光聚合物和光诱导过程的可持续性）旨在i）提高光聚合物的可持续性ii）促进光聚合过程在工业部门的使用，以取代不太可持续的过程iii）培养具有先进科学技能和可持续意识的新一代研究人员。ESPERANTO将聚集8所大学和8个非学术合作伙伴，通过在光聚合物和高科技领域的学术机构和企业的国际和跨部门研究网络内解决可持续创新的个人博士项目来实现其目标。光聚合是涂料、粘合剂、印刷油墨、包装、木材表面处理和电子产品的关键技术。光诱导反应比大多数化学过程更环保，因为它们不使用溶剂，不消耗能源，快速有效。然而，它们仍然存在可持续性问题，即使用基于化石的原材料，在产品的使用寿命期间组分的迁移（限制其在医疗和食品应用中的使用），需要有害的紫外线灯，以及对厚/不透明样品或非照明区域的有限适用性。此外，光聚合物大多是交联的，因此不可回收。ESPERANTO将解决光聚合的技术和环境问题，为现有工艺开发更环保、更安全的材料，并研究创新的光聚合工艺。通过实施基于新型光处理的新型可持续材料和原型，它将建立创新和可持续的光基技术，能够进入新市场（例如医疗领域）并创新现有市场，对欧盟经济产生影响。此外，ESPERANTO将培养具有高度环境意识的高技能和可雇用的研究人员，加强欧洲在可持续R&I方面的人力资本基础。

Esperanto (Enhancing the Sustainability of PhotopolymERs ANd phoToinduced prOcesses) aims at i) improving the sustainability of photopolymers ii) boosting the use of photopolymerisation processes in the industrial sector to replace less sustainable processes iii) training a new generation of researchers with advanced scientific skills and sustainability consciousness. Gathering 8 universities and 8 non-academic partners, ESPERANTO will reach its objectives through individual PhD projects addressing sustainable innovation, within an international and intersectoral research network of academic institutions and enterprises in the field of photopolymers and high-tech. Photopolymerization is a key enabling technology for coatings, adhesives, printing inks, packaging, wood finishing, and electronics. Photoinduced reactions are greener than most chemical processes, as they do not use solvents, are not energy intensive, are fast and efficient. However, they still present sustainability issues, namely use of fossil-based raw materials, migration of components during the service life of the product (limiting their use in medical and food applications), need of harmful UV lights, and limited applicability to thick/opaque samples or non-illuminated areas. Furthermore, photopolymers are mostly crosslinked, thus non-recyclable.ESPERANTO will tackle the technical and environmental issues of photopolymerisation, developing greener and safer materials for present processes and investigating innovative photopolymerisation processes. Implementing new sustainable materials and prototypes based on new photoprocesses, it will set innovative and sustainable light-based technologies, able to enter new markets (e.g. the medical sector) and innovate existing ones, making an impact on EU's economy. Moreover, ESPERANTO will prepare highly skilled and employable researchers, with strong environmental consciousness, strengthening Europe's human capital base in sustainable R&I.