Zhou Youquan, He Yunqing, Lin Xiaoying, Feng Yue, Liu Mingxian
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou511443, P. R. China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Oct 19;14(41):46980-46993. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c12764. Epub 2022 Oct 6.
A high-performance biodegradable plastic was made from a chitin KOH/urea solution. The solution was transferred into a hydrogel by cross-linking using epichlorohydrin and ethanol immersion, and a chitin bioplastic was finally prepared by drying in a mold at 40 °C. The solution concentration positively impacts viscosity, crystallinity, and smoothness. A 4% chitin bioplastic exhibits high barrier properties, flame retardancy, high-temperature resistance, mechanical properties (tensile strength up to 107.1 MPa), and soil degradation properties. The chitin bioplastic can be completely degraded by microorganisms in 7 weeks. In addition, biosafety tests suggest that chitin is safe for cells and crops (wheat and mung beans). The chitin bioplastic was further applied to containers, straws, cups, and photoprotection, and it was found that the water resistance and transparency were comparable to those of commercial polypropylene plastics. Due to the excellent performance, safety, and sustainability of the chitin bioplastic, it is expected to become a good substitute for conventional fossil fuel-based plastics.
一种高性能可生物降解塑料由几丁质KOH/尿素溶液制成。通过用环氧氯丙烷交联和乙醇浸泡将该溶液转化为水凝胶，最后在40℃的模具中干燥制备出几丁质生物塑料。溶液浓度对粘度、结晶度和平滑度有积极影响。4%的几丁质生物塑料具有高阻隔性能、阻燃性、耐高温性、机械性能（拉伸强度高达107.1MPa）和土壤降解性能。几丁质生物塑料可在7周内被微生物完全降解。此外，生物安全性测试表明几丁质对细胞和作物（小麦和绿豆）是安全的。几丁质生物塑料进一步应用于容器、吸管、杯子和光防护，发现其耐水性和透明度与商用聚丙烯塑料相当。由于几丁质生物塑料具有优异的性能、安全性和可持续性，有望成为传统化石燃料基塑料的良好替代品。
