UV-Curable Cellulose Nanofiber-Reinforced Soy Protein Resins for 3D Printing and Conventional Molding

Abstract

Plastic wastes pose a serious threat to the environment and there has been strong interest in developing soy protein isolate (SPI)-based plastics to reduce the use of traditional petroleum-based ones. However, the use of SPI plastics has been hindered due to their inferior mechanical properties and poor water resistance compared with traditional plastics. In this work, SPI plastics with significantly improved mechanical properties and water resistance were developed using UV-curable SPI resin and UVcurable cellulose nanofibers. Three UV-curable materials, i.e., methacrylated SPI (MSPI), methacrylated cellulose nanofibrils (MCNF), and methacrylated cellulose nanocrystals (MCNC), were produced through methacrylation of SPI, CNF, and CNC, respectively. Methacrylation of the materials and UV curing of the resins were confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Uniform dispersion of CNC, CNF, MCNC, or MCNF in the resin was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The tensile properties and water resistance of the resins were found to improve with increasing curing time and degree of methacrylation. The incorporation of CNC, CNF, MCNC, and MCNF further improved the mechanical and water resistance performance of the resins, with the MCNF leading to the largest improvement. UV curing and the cellulose nanofibers evidently worked synergistically to improve the properties of the resins. This study demonstrated a method and formulations to produce the SPI plastics with exceptional properties. Furthermore, the potential of this resin in 3D printing and conventional plastic molding was demonstrated.

Current Status in the Utilization of Biobased Polymers for 3D Printing Process: A Systematic Review of the Materials, Processes, and Challenges

“…Soy protein as a source of essential and nonessential amino acids shows the proper nutritional quality and physicochemical features to be applied as a biopolymeric ink for the 3D printing process. , The popularity of soy is among other proteins triggered by its application in pharmaceutical, bioengineering, and healthy food products, along with the fact that it is a cost-effective product and promising sustainable plant protein sources with an extensive range of usages. It can improve the flow behavior of the system and can be extruded out through the nozzle tip and deposited for the fabrication of different 3D printed constructs.…”

Self-Healing, Antibacterial, and 3D-Printable Polymerizable Deep Eutectic Solvents Derived from Tannic Acid

“…Up to now, almost all the 3D printing materials are derived from fossil resources, which are not sustainable due to the possible depletion of fossil resources and environmental pollution. Therefore, great efforts have been devoted to developing 3D printing materials from renewable resources like cellulose, plant oils, and lignin, mainly because they are usually abundant and biodegradable. ,,− Lu et al prepared 3D objects with biobased resins derived from cellulose and rosin, and the obtained objects showed superior shape memory and luminescence properties . Wu et al fabricated thermoplastic 3D models through LCD 3D printing using vinyl monomers derived from palm oil.…”

The synergistic effects of lignin and cellulose nanofibers on the properties of starch/zein blends

“…A small peak at 897 cm À1 is also present on the spectrum of CNF, which can be attributed to the glycosidic -CH deformation with a ring vibration and -OH bending in β-glycosidic linkages between the glucose units in the cellulose. [54][55][56] XRD patterns of corn starch and CNFs are shown in Figure 3. Corn starch shows a typical C-type crystalline structure pattern, with diffraction peaks at 15.3°, 17.1°, 19.9°, and 23.0°.…”