High-performance alginate supramolecular plastics enabled by pre-hydroplastic processing and post-noncovalent
Hongjun Jin1, Wei Xiao2, Shuting Wu2
1Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China. hongjunjin@fjnu.edu.cn.
Sustainable alginate supramolecular plastics (SPs) overcome hydroplastic processing and water-resistance challenges. A cascade strategy enhances their performance for applications in humid environments.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Sustainable Materials
Background:
- Petroleum-based plastics pose global environmental concerns.
- Degradable bio-based supramolecular plastics (SPs) offer sustainable alternatives.
- Hydroplastic processing enables eco-friendly shaping but faces water-resistance limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop alginate SPs with both hydroplastic processability and water-resistance.
- To address the application limitations of current bio-based plastics in humid conditions.
Main Methods:
- A cascade strategy involving pre-hydroplastic processing and post-noncovalent crosslinking was employed.
- Alginate-cetyltrimethylammonium (SA-CTAB) SPs were processed into 2D/3D shapes.
- Calcium ions (Ca2+) were introduced for crosslinking to enhance properties.
Main Results:
- Alginate SPs achieved excellent hydroplasticity for shape formation.
- Post-crosslinking with Ca2+ significantly improved mechanical strength and water-resistance.
- Wet tensile strength increased 38-fold to 15 MPa; Young's modulus increased 110-fold to 0.57 GPa.
Conclusions:
- The developed cascade strategy successfully balances hydroplasticity and water-resistance in alginate SPs.
- Enhanced alginate SPs demonstrate broadened applicability in humid environments.
- This work presents a sustainable processing route for high-performance alginate SPs.
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