Alternative plastics

Yuan, Liang; Kurnaz, Leman Buzoglu; Tang, Chuanbing

doi:10.1038/s41893-021-00750-2

Cited by 29 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The biopolymer matrix offers a key advantage of biodegradation over petroleum-derived polymers as bulk host matrix for photonic application to avoid post-utility disposal issues. [53][54] In addition to biodegradation, the nanoheterogenous polar structure of biopolymers 55 supports chromophores dispersion, and their thick fiber network can block oxygen in case of oxygen-sensitive photochemical reactions. [48][49] Previous efforts on azobenzene fabrication in biopolymers are limited to electrospinning of covalent functionalized Azo-cellulose-azobenzene film.…”

Section: Chemical Science Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Far-red triplet sensitizedZ-to-Ephotoswitching of azobenzene in bioplastics

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Chemical Science Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Far-red triplet sensitizedZ-to-Ephotoswitching of azobenzene in bioplastics

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Plastics is one of the most abundant man-made materials, and although its widespread use started only 70 years ago, an estimate of 9 billion metric tons (Mt) of plastics has been produced until 2021. , The intensive utilization of single-use containers drastically accelerated plastics production, and packaging is now plastics’ largest market . Approximately 183 Mt of solid plastics, corresponding to half of the annual global production, is thrown away each year worldwide .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Bioplastics from Amyloid Fibril-Biodegradable Polymer Blends

Peydayesh

Bagnani

Mezzenga

2021

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plastic waste production is a global challenging problem since its accumulation in the environment is causing devastating effects on the planet's ecosystem. Sustainable and green solutions are urgently needed, and this pairs with increasingly stronger regulations combined with improved ecological awareness. This study proposes a simple, scalable and water-based process to produce free-standing, transparent and flexible bioplastic films by combining amyloid fibrils with biodegradable polymers as two main building blocks. Amyloid fibrils can be obtained through denaturation and self-assembly from a broad class of food proteins found in milk, soy, and egg, for example. Whey is used here as a model protein, since it is the major by-product of dairy industries, and its valorization creates a valuable opportunity to produce sustainable, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly bioplastics perfectly integrated within a circular economy. Against this background, we highlight the sustainability superiority of these bioplastics over common plastics and bioplastic via a detailed life cycle assessment, anticipating an important role of this new class of bioplastics in mitigating the pressing plastic pollution challenge.

show abstract

“…The dominant industrial process for polymer matrix biocomposites, melt-compounding, is limited in terms of fiber content, results in mechanical fiber damage, and has issues with reinforcement aggregation, particularly for nanocellulose reinforcements 16 . Melt-processing is energy-intensive 3 as melt-processed biocomposites are typically heated and cooled multiple times to produce the final product. Most molded plant fiber biocomposites in use today are based on melt-processing of thermoplastic-plant fiber mixtures 17 and are not degradable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Melt-processing is energy-intensive 3 as melt-processed biocomposites are typically heated and cooled multiple times to produce the final product. Most molded plant fiber biocomposites in use today are based on melt-processing of thermoplastic-plant fiber mixtures 17 and are not degradable.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly reinforced and degradable lignocellulose biocomposites by polymerization of new polyester oligomers

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unbleached wood fibers and nanofibers are environmentally friendly bio-based candidates for material production, in particular, as reinforcements in polymer matrix biocomposites due to their low density and potential as carbon sink during the materials production phase. However, producing high reinforcement content biocomposites with degradable or chemically recyclable matrices is troublesome. Here, we address this issue with a new concept for facile and scalable in-situ polymerization of polyester matrices based on functionally balanced oligomers in pre-formed lignocellulosic networks. The idea enabled us to create high reinforcement biocomposites with well-dispersed mechanically undamaged fibers or nanocellulose. These degradable biocomposites have much higher mechanical properties than analogs in the literature. Reinforcement geometry (fibers at 30 µm or fibrils at 10–1000 nm diameter) influenced the polymerization and degradation of the polyester matrix. Overall, this work opens up new pathways toward environmentally benign materials in the context of a circular bioeconomy.

show abstract

Alternative plastics

Cited by 29 publications

References 4 publications

Far-red triplet sensitizedZ-to-Ephotoswitching of azobenzene in bioplastics

Far-red triplet sensitizedZ-to-Ephotoswitching of azobenzene in bioplastics

Sustainable Bioplastics from Amyloid Fibril-Biodegradable Polymer Blends

Highly reinforced and degradable lignocellulose biocomposites by polymerization of new polyester oligomers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About