Sustainable Biopolymer Colloids: Advances in Morphology for Enhanced Functionalities

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Sustainable Materials

Background:

• Biobased polymers like cellulose, chitin, starch, alginate, and lignin are emerging as eco-friendly replacements for synthetic colloidal materials.
• These biopolymers offer biodegradability and environmental safety, aligning with green chemistry principles.
• Colloidal structures derived from biopolymers are gaining attention for their potential in various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize recent advancements in preparing biobased colloidal structures.
• To identify key challenges hindering the widespread adoption of biopolymer colloids.
• To propose future research directions for enhancing their performance and applicability.

Main Methods:

• Review of physical and chemical preparation techniques for biobased colloidal structures.
• Analysis of strategies for fabricating spherical/nonspherical particles, fibers/fibrils, and films from biopolymers.
• Focus on morphology control for introducing functionality without chemical modification.

Main Results:

• Four distinct classes of colloidal morphologies (particles, fibers/fibrils, films) can be fabricated from biobased materials.
• Both physical and chemical methods are employed for their preparation.
• Sustainable colloid morphology is a key strategy for functionalization.

Conclusions:

• Despite progress, challenges in uniformity, scalability, and property control remain for biopolymer colloids.
• Enhancing environmental sustainability in production is crucial.
• Overcoming these barriers is vital for transitioning to greener, microplastic-free colloidal alternatives.