Issue 4, 2022

Tuning compatibility and water uptake by protein charge modification in melt-polymerizable protein-based thermosets

Abstract

Suppressing the influence of humidity in protein-based materials is central to their use in a variety of applications. It is believed that protein charge plays a key role in water uptake. Therefore, in this work, whey protein was neutralized, supercharged, and superneutralized to examine the effects of protein modification on moisture absorption in protein copolymers. The charge-modified proteins were formulated into thermoset elastomers through a three-step process: methacrylation, complexation with various surfactants, and co-polymerization with n-butyl acrylate. Compatibility of the protein and hydrophobic acrylate monomer can be tuned through changes in surfactant type, ratio between surfactant and protein, and protein charge modification. Using benzalkonium chloride as the surfactant compatibilizer, elastomers with the various modified proteins were prepared using a melt polymerization approach. Acetylation and esterification of whey protein, which neutralize charged functional groups, resulted in the reduction of the proteins’ water uptake relative to unmodified whey. Once incoporated into elastomers, all copolymers regardless of protein modifications have similar moisture contents. However, elastomers with superneutralized proteins demonstrated a lowered mechanical dependence on humidity, presented as a smaller change in elongation at break and tensile strength compared to a copolymer based on non-charge modified whey.

Graphical abstract: Tuning compatibility and water uptake by protein charge modification in melt-polymerizable protein-based thermosets

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 jun 2021
Accepted
12 sep 2021
First published
24 jan 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Adv., 2022,3, 2158-2169

Tuning compatibility and water uptake by protein charge modification in melt-polymerizable protein-based thermosets

E. Andersen, W. Y. Chan, S. Av-Ron, H. V. Sureka and B. D. Olsen, Mater. Adv., 2022, 3, 2158 DOI: 10.1039/D1MA00485A

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