A novel
and facile marine mussel-inspired surface modification approach for
microcrystalline celluloses (MCC) and enhanced interfacial adhesion
with the soy protein isolate (SPI) matrix were demonstrated in an
effort to develop renewable composite films. The surface composition
and micromorphology of the poly(dopamine) (PDA)-modified MCC (PDMCC)
were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated
total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric
analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The biomimetic adherent
PDA layer was successfully coated onto the MCC surface via dopamine
self-polymerization through a simple dip-coating method. As expected,
the adlayer of PDA between the PDMCC and peptide chains greatly enhanced
the mechanical properties of the resultant films. Because of the favorable
interfacial adhesion between PDMCC and SPI, as certified by solid
state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and atomic force microscopy,
the tensile strength of the PDMCC/SPI film was improved by 82.3%,
and its water absorption was reduced by 31.3% in comparison to that
of the unmodified SPI film.
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