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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation
Published on: June 17, 2014
Ecofriendly UV-protective films based on poly(propylene carbonate) biocomposites filled with TiO2 decorated lignin
Wei Wu1, Tao Liu2, Xueqin Deng3
1National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Terahertz and Millimeter Waves, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Abstract:
It is highly desirable to develop biodegradable UV-shielding materials from the renewable resources as the ever-increasing demand for the sustainable environment. In this work, TiO2 decorated lignin particles (TiO2@lignin) were synthesized successfully by hydrothermal method in aqueous solution to improve the UV shielding performance of lignin particles. The poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) composite films (thickness of ~23 μm) with different contents of TiO2@lignin were prepared via a blade-casting method. Morphological analysis showed that the TiO2@lignin dispersed uniformly in the PPC matrix with a good miscibility. UV-vis transmission spectra results revealed that the PPC composite film containing 5 wt% TiO2@lignin could absorb about 90% of UV light in the full UV band (200-400 nm), indicating the TiO2@lignin had a good UV-shielding property. Moreover, the presence of TiO2@lignin could significantly improve the thermal stability of the PPC/TiO2@lignin composite films. The DMA results showed that the introduction of TiO2@lignin could enhance the storage modulus and glass transition temperature simultaneously.
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