A Biodegradable, Waterproof, and Thermally Processable Cellulosic Bioplastic Enabled by Dynamic Covalent Modification

Authors：Zhou, Guowen; Zhang, Haishan; Su, Zhiping; Zhang, Xiaoqian; Zhou, Haonan; Yu, Le; Chen, Chaoji^*; Wang, Xiaohui^*

Source：Advanced Materials, 2023, 35(25).

DOI：10.1002/adma.202301398

• biodegradability
• cellulosic bioplastic
• dynamic covalent networks
• thermo-processable materials

The growing environmental concern over petrochemical-based plastics continuously promotes the exploration of green and sustainable substitute materials. Compared with petrochemical products, cellulose has overwhelming superiority in terms of availability, cost, and biodegradability; however, cellulose's dense hydrogen-bonding network and highly ordered crystalline structure make it hard to be thermoformed. A strategy to realize the partial disassociation of hydrogen bonds in cellulose and the reassembly of cellulose chains via constructing a dynamic covalent network, thereby endowing cellulose with thermal processability as indicated by the observation of a moderate glass transition temperature (T-g = 240 degrees C), is proposed. Moreover, the cellulosic bioplastic delivers a high tensile strength of 67 MPa, as well as excellent moisture and solvent resistance, good recyclability, and biodegradability in nature. With these advantageous features, the developed cellulosic bioplastic represents a promising alternative to traditional plastics.

• Institution
  武汉大学