Issue 32, 2021

Synthetic lignin-like and degradable nanocarriers

Abstract

Lignin is a highly abundant biopolymer that is a by-product formed during paper manufacturing. Lignin is degraded by certain lignase-producing fungi and is relatively stable towards hydrolysis, which makes it an attractive material for diverse applications ranging from packaging to agrochemical delivery. However, a major challenge that hinders the large-scale use of lignin is its ill-defined chemical structure as a crosslinked copolymer with a variable comonomer composition, which results in strong batch-to-batch variations. To eradicate such a structural heterogeneity, herein, we synthesized two lignin-like monomers, comprising linkages found in native lignin, i.e., phenylcoumaran and β-O-4-aryl ether, and used them for the preparation of lignin-like nanocarriers by interfacial crosslinking in an inverse miniemulsion. The lignin-like monomers are accessible by a 2- or 4-step synthesis starting from bio-based compounds and can be prepared on a multigram scale. They carry hydroxyl groups, which reacted with toluene diisocyanate to produce lignin-like polyurethane nanocarriers with diameters between 200 and 400 nm. The nanocarriers might be used for the encapsulation of fungicides and for plant protection, as the lignin-like structure allowed the degradation by lignase-producing fungi, which are the cause of many plant diseases. Therefore, the dispersions might be of interest as a degradable drug delivery system, e.g. in advanced plant protection, or as synthetic alternatives to natural lignin.

Graphical abstract: Synthetic lignin-like and degradable nanocarriers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 iyn 2021
Accepted
28 iyl 2021
First published
28 iyl 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Polym. Chem., 2021,12, 4661-4667

Synthetic lignin-like and degradable nanocarriers

S. J. Beckers, J. Fischer and F. R. Wurm, Polym. Chem., 2021, 12, 4661 DOI: 10.1039/D1PY00818H

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