Characterization of a lignin-based gel responsive to aqueous binary solvents and pH

Shogo Taira; Yuriko Usukura; Mitsukuni Nishida; Kengo Shigetomi; Yasumitsu Uraki

doi:10.1515/hf-2020-0220

Article

Characterization of a lignin-based gel responsive to aqueous binary solvents and pH

Shogo Taira , Yuriko Usukura , Mitsukuni Nishida , Kengo Shigetomi and Yasumitsu Uraki

Published/Copyright: January 6, 2021

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From the journal Holzforschung Volume 75 Issue 8

Abstract

A lignin-based gel (AL-PE gel) was obtained from hardwood acetic acid lignin (AL) and poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PE) as a cross-linker at a high AL concentration, while the reaction at a lower AL concentration yielded an amphipathic derivative (am-AL-PE). The gel has been reported to swell in aqueous ethanol but shrink in pure water and ethanol. In the present work, swelling behaviors in other aqueous binary solvents and the swelling mechanism were investigated to explore novel lignin-based functional materials, such as stimuli-and/or environment-responsive gels. The AL-PE gel swelled in aqueous methanol, isopropanol, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran, and the order of swelling in the solvents was consistent with that of the am-AL-PE. Spin-spin relaxation time (T₂) measurements with ¹H NMR analysis of the gel in aqueous acetone revealed that gel swelling was closely related to an increasing T₂ of acetone bound to the gel network. The nature of the lignin moiety in the gel also enabled a pH response, and the amphipathic nature of the gel provided it with a function as an absorbent for cationic surfactants. The results of this study can contribute to the valorization of lignin as a main component for solvent sensors and environmental purification materials.

Keywords: acetic acid lignin; cationic surfactant absorbent; lignin gel; stimuli-responsive gel

Corresponding author: Yasumitsu Uraki, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-8589, Japan, E-mail: uraki@for.agr.hokudai.ac.jp

Funding source: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Award Identifier / Grant number: JP20J20415

Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This work was supported by JSPS AKENHI grant number JP20J20415.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2020-10-08

Accepted: 2020-12-01

Published Online: 2021-01-06

Published in Print: 2021-08-26

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https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2020-0220

Keywords for this article

acetic acid lignin; cationic surfactant absorbent; lignin gel; stimuli-responsive gel