Abstract
Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) from lignocellulosic biomass are expected to become promising basic building blocks for various applications in the development of multifunctional nanocomposites. Facile green preparation of LNPs and their application in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films were studied in this paper. LNPs were produced by performing fractionation of wheat straws at less than 80 °C with a recyclable hydrotropic, aqueous p-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TsOH). The dissolved lignin could be simply separated as LNPs by diluting the spent liquor (SL) to below the minimal hydrotropic concentration (MHC) of 11.5%. The resulting LPNs exhibited an oblate spheroid morphology and a uniform particle size distribution. After introducing the available LNPs into the PVA matrix at 6% loading, the nanocomposite products could block 100 and 95% of UV light at 315 and 400 nm, respectively, and exhibited 80% antioxidant activity. In addition, the respective maximum TS and TM were 59.7 MPa and 2.07 GPa, respectively, which were increases of approximately 36 and 104% compared with those of pure PVA film. The LNPs/PVA nanocomposite films displayed improved UV resistance, mechanical properties, thermal stability and antioxidant activity and could be used as additional multifunctional agents in the fields of biodegradable plastics, tissue engineering and UV-protective biobased materials.
Author contribution: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (grant numbers 2015SF263, 2018JQ4042).
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original articles
- Quality assessment of teak (Tectona grandis) wood from trees grown in a multi-stratified agroforestry system established in an Amazon rainforest area
- Demonstration of the applicability of visible and near-infrared spatially resolved spectroscopy for rapid and nondestructive wood classification
- Effect of specimen configuration and orthotropy on the Young’s modulus of solid wood obtained from a longitudinal vibration test
- Full-field tracking and analysis of shrinkage strain during moisture content loss in wood
- Water vapour sorption behaviour and physico-mechanical properties of methyl methacrylate (MMA)- and MMA–styrene-modified batai (Paraserianthes falcataria) wood
- ToF-SIMS imaging reveals that p-hydroxybenzoate groups specifically decorate the lignin of fibres in the xylem of poplar and willow
- Green preparation of lignin nanoparticles in an aqueous hydrotropic solution and application in biobased nanocomposite films
- A model to predict the kinetics of mass loss in wood during thermo-vacuum modification
- Radiata pine fretboard material of string instruments treated with furfuryl alcohol followed by tung oil
- Short note
- MXene/wood-based composite materials with electromagnetic shielding properties
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original articles
- Quality assessment of teak (Tectona grandis) wood from trees grown in a multi-stratified agroforestry system established in an Amazon rainforest area
- Demonstration of the applicability of visible and near-infrared spatially resolved spectroscopy for rapid and nondestructive wood classification
- Effect of specimen configuration and orthotropy on the Young’s modulus of solid wood obtained from a longitudinal vibration test
- Full-field tracking and analysis of shrinkage strain during moisture content loss in wood
- Water vapour sorption behaviour and physico-mechanical properties of methyl methacrylate (MMA)- and MMA–styrene-modified batai (Paraserianthes falcataria) wood
- ToF-SIMS imaging reveals that p-hydroxybenzoate groups specifically decorate the lignin of fibres in the xylem of poplar and willow
- Green preparation of lignin nanoparticles in an aqueous hydrotropic solution and application in biobased nanocomposite films
- A model to predict the kinetics of mass loss in wood during thermo-vacuum modification
- Radiata pine fretboard material of string instruments treated with furfuryl alcohol followed by tung oil
- Short note
- MXene/wood-based composite materials with electromagnetic shielding properties