Borate chemistry inspired by cell walls converts soy protein into high-strength, antibacterial, flame-retardant adhesive

Author(s): Weidong Gu ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Feng Li ⁴ ^, ⁵ ^, ² ^, ³ , Xiaorong Liu ⁴ ^, ⁵ ^, ² ^, ³ , Qiang Gao ⁴ ^, ⁵ ^, ² ^, ³ , Shanshan Gong ⁴ ^, ⁵ ^, ² ^, ³ , Jianzhang Li ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Sheldon Q. Shi ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵

Publication date (Electronic): 2020

Journal: Green Chemistry

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

Borate chemically cross-linked soy protein to prepare high-strength, antibacterial, flame-retardant bio-adhesive.

Abstract

Urea formaldehyde, phenolic, and melamine formaldehyde resins are currently the most common wood adhesives. However, these modern wood adhesives have toxicity problems and most of the raw materials come from non-renewable resources. Ideally, future alternative adhesives will be prepared from non-toxic, inexpensive, and renewable natural materials. We found that borate chemistry can crosslink soy protein (SP) and soy polysaccharides (SPSs) to produce a strong adhesive, which is the core of the stable structure in higher plants. Hyperbranched polyester (HBPE) was added to the adhesive as a toughening agent. The resulting crosslinked protein adhesive bound wood with high strength and in some cases its force exceeded the force that the wood itself could withstand. In addition, the borate crosslinked protein adhesive displayed antimicrobial and flame-retardant properties. Simple borate chemistry can provide a way to produce low-cost, renewable, and high-performance materials.

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Sustainable polymers from renewable resources

Yunqing Zhu, Charles Romain, Charlotte K Williams (2016)

Renewable resources are used increasingly in the production of polymers. In particular, monomers such as carbon dioxide, terpenes, vegetable oils and carbohydrates can be used as feedstocks for the manufacture of a variety of sustainable materials and products, including elastomers, plastics, hydrogels, flexible electronics, resins, engineering polymers and composites. Efficient catalysis is required to produce monomers, to facilitate selective polymerizations and to enable recycling or upcycling of waste materials. There are opportunities to use such sustainable polymers in both high-value areas and in basic applications such as packaging. Life-cycle assessment can be used to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainable polymers.

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Heterogeneity in the chemistry, structure and function of plant cell walls.

Rachel Burton, Michael Gidley, Geoffrey Fincher (2010)

Higher plants resist the forces of gravity and powerful lateral forces through the cumulative strength of the walls that surround individual cells. These walls consist mainly of cellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides and lignin, in proportions that depend upon the specific functions of the cell and its stage of development. Spatially and temporally controlled heterogeneity in the physicochemical properties of wall polysaccharides is observed at the tissue and individual cell levels, and emerging in situ technologies are providing evidence that this heterogeneity also occurs across a single cell wall. We consider the origins of cell wall heterogeneity and identify contributing factors that are inherent in the molecular mechanisms of polysaccharide biosynthesis and are crucial for the changing biological functions of the wall during growth and development. We propose several key questions to be addressed in cell wall biology, together with an alternative two-phase model for the assembly of noncellulosic polysaccharides in plants.