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Role of Star‐Like Hydroxylpropyl Lignin in Soy‐Protein Plastics
Author(s) -
Wei Ming,
Fan Lihong,
Huang Jin,
Chen Yun
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.200500372
Subject(s) - soy protein , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , lignin , miscibility , supramolecular chemistry , elongation , glycerol , cellulose , chemical engineering , hydrophobic effect , molecule , polymer , polymer chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , food science , engineering
Summary: Star‐like hydroxypropyl lignin (HL) was compounded into soy protein isolated (SPI) to develop a potential biodegradable plastic with better mechanical performance than pure sheet‐SPI. The structure and properties of the composite materials were characterized by WAXD, DSC, SEM, TEM and tensile tests. The addition of just 2 wt.‐% HL resulted in tensile strength ( σ b ) of 16.8 MPa, 2.3 times that of pure sheet‐SPI, with no accompanying decrease in elongation at break as a result of strong interaction and with good miscibility among components. As the HL content increased, the HL molecules could self‐aggregate as oblate supramolecular domains, while the stronger interactions between HL and glycerol resulted in the detaching of glycerol from the SPI matrix. It can be concluded that the insertion of HL as single molecules into the SPI matrix would provide materials with optimum mechanical properties. Compared with other lignin/SPI composites, the stretching chains on HL play a key role in the improvement of mechanical properties because of a stronger adhesion of HL onto the SPI matrix as well as the interpenetration of SPI into supramolecular HL domains.Schematic illustration of the supramolecular domain created by the aggregation of hydroxypropyl lignin, which can interpenetrate with soy protein isolate.