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International audience; Layered double hydroxide prepared with lignosulfonate (LDH/LS) can be easily dispersed down to the nanometric scale in thermoplastic starch, at concentration of 1 up to 4. wt% of LDH/LS. They can thus be used as a bio-based reinforcing agent of thermoplastic starch. Incorporation of LDH/LS in starch must be done using LDH/LS slurry instead of powder on order to avoid secondary particles aggregation, the water of the paste being used as the starch plasticizer. This reinforced starch was used for preparing a starch-polyolefine composite. LDH/LS-starch nanocomposites were mixed in a random terpolymer of ethylene, butyl acrylate (6%) and maleic anhydride (3%) at concentrations of 20. wt% and 40. wt%. With a 20% loading of (1. wt% LDH/LS in thermoplastic starch), the ternary copolymer is partially bio-based while keeping nearly its original processability and mechanical properties and improving oxygen barrier properties. The use of layered double hydroxides is also removing most odours linked to the lignin phase.

International audience; The rheological properties of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with a low molar substitution (MS) dissolved in 8 wt% NaOH–water were studied as a function of solution temperature, polymer concentration and molar substitution. Special attention was paid to gelation kinetics. Similar to cellulose dissolved in alkali or ionic liquids, the intrinsic viscosity of HEC decreased with temperature increase, indicating a decrease of solvent thermodynamic quality. The gelation time of HEC solutions decreased exponentially with temperature but the kinetics is much slower than the gelation of microcrystalline cellulose solutions in the same solvent. Higher molar substitution leads to slower gelation. The small amount of introduced hydroxyethyl groups prevented cellulose aggregation thus increasing solution stability.

International audience; The 3rd EPNOE International Polysaccharide Conference (EPNOE 2013) with the title “Polysaccharides and polysaccharide-derived products. From basic science to applications” was held in Nice (France) from 21 to 24 October 2013. This conference was jointly organised by EPNOE (European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence) and the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Patrick Navard from the Materials Processing Center of Mines ParisTech was the chairman of the local organising committee. EPNOE 2013 was a great success. More than 450 participants from 45 countries gathered in the newly refurbished Nice Acropolis Convention Center, a perfect location for a scientific meeting with rooms for oral communications, posters and lunch being in the same place. It was also a wonderful site since the Congress Hall is situated in the heart of the old Nice city, close to the Mediterranean sea side. The EPNOE 2013 conference was a forum for bringing together academic, industrial, and government scientists and students dealing with polysaccharides and polysaccharide-derived products. Scientists from many disciplines were present, including biologists, chemists, physicists, food specialists, technologists, and environmentalists. In total, 236 oral communications were presented in four parallel sessions and 200 posters were permanently displayed throughout the conference, catalysing numerous discussions and providing good visibility of the exhibited work.

Because of recognition of the increasing economic importance of polysaccharides, the European Commission (EC) decided to support the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence, better known as EPNOE. The EC project officially started in May 2005 and ran for 4 and a half years. It involved 16 European laboratories from 9 countries (see list at http://www.epnoe.eu). The main mission of EPNOE was to promote the use of polysaccharide renewable raw materials as feedstocks for the development of advanced multifunctional materials.