Water-Mediated Synthesis of Full-Biomass Vitrimer with Enhanced Moldability, Recyclability, and Biodegradability

• Published in: ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering Vol. 12; no. 18; pp. 6952 - 6959
• Main Authors: Zhou, Haonan, Zhang, Xiaoqian, Zhou, Guowen, Demi̇r, Muslum, Lei, Zepeng, Zhang, Wei, Wang, Xiaohui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 06.05.2024
• Subjects: biodegradable; bioplastic; water-mediated synthesis; konjac glucomannan; self-healing
• ISSN: 2168-0485; 2168-0485
• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c08467

The escalating concern about plastic pollution has intensified research efforts in developing degradable bioplastics. However, the fabrication processes of all-natural bioplastics are fraught with tremendous challenges, notably the use of toxic chemicals and the generation of hazardous waste. Herein, we report an environmentally friendly method for synthesizing a sustainable konjac glucomannan (KGM) bioplastic. The intermolecular interactions of KGM chains were reconstructed by substituting the original H-bonds with dynamic covalent bonds, which were formed via the Schiff base reaction at the oil–water interface. The resulting thermo-processable KGM bioplastic exhibited multiple advantages, such as low glass-transition temperature (T g ), rehealability, reprocessability, satisfactory tensile strain, and excellent resistance to water and other chemicals. Significantly, only water was used as the reaction medium throughout the entire preparation, which avoided the consumption of organic solvents and the production of hazardous waste. This work provides an eco-friendly approach to craft konjac glucomannan bioplastic as viable alternatives to traditional plastics.