Surface Modification of Biopolymers

Vijay Kumar Thakur, Amar Singh Singha, Vijay Kumar Thakur, Amar Singh Singha

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781119044918
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technologie et ingénierie
• Subtopic: Science des matériaux

This book addresses surface modification techniques, which are critical for tailoring and broadening the applications of naturally occurring biopolymers. Biopolymers represent a sustainable solution to the need for new materials in the auto, waste removal, biomedical device, building material, defense, and paper industries. Features:

• First comprehensive summary of biopolymer modification methods to enhance compatibility, flexibility, enhanced physicochemical properties, thermal stability, impact response, and rigidity, among others
• Address of a green, eco-friendly materials that is increasing in use, underscoring the roles of material scientists in the future of new "green" bioolymer material use
• Coverage applications in automotive development, hazardous waste removal, biomedical engineering, pulp and paper industries, development of new building materials, and defense-related technologies
• Facilitation of technology transfer

1
SURFACE MODIFICATION OF BIOPOLYMERS: AN OVERVIEW

Manju Kumari Thakur¹, Ashvinder Kumar Rana², Yang Liping³, Amar Singh Singha⁴, and Vijay Kumar Thakur⁵

¹ Division of Chemistry, Govt. Degree College Sarkaghat, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

² Department of Chemistry, Sri Sai University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India

³ Polymer Engineering and Catalysis, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

⁴ Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India

⁵ School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Among various materials used in our everyday life, polymers play the most imperative role along with their use in a number of industries for versatile applications [1–3]. Polymers have been known to play a key role in the economy of the most of the countries of modern world since last century [4, 5]. Polymers have been frequently classified into natural and synthetic polymers [6, 7]. Although natural polymers were frequently used by the people of earlier civilization for a number of applications directly/indirectly, usage of synthetic polymers has dominated the modern world especially the last few decades [8–11]. Synthetic polymers have even replaced some of the commonly used metallic materials due to their enormous advantages such as light weight, chemical/water resistant, versatility, decent mechanical/thermal properties, and easy tailor ability [12–15]. Both natural and synthetic polymers can be easily distinguished depending upon their inherent properties and their structural property relationship [16]. However, during the last few years, sustainable development through the use of environmentally friendly materials has become the hottest topic of conversation as well as research all around the globe [17, 18]. In this direction, the usage of materials that can be procured from our nature is rising rapidly for a number of applications [19, 20]. In fact the materials obtained from the nature are becoming a potentially viable alternative to a number of traditional synthetic materials that are generally synthesized from petroleum-based resources [21–23]. The effective utilization of the materials obtained from nature offers a number of challenges for their successful usage as well as offers new opportunities from the economic and environmental point of view [24, 25]. The past few decades has seen a pronounced advancement in the development of new eco-friendly materials that are procured from bio-based biopolymers for vast applications [26–28]. Different kinds of bio-based biopolymers represent a renewable feedstock of materials for different usage [29, 30]. The renewable feedstock of biopolymers extensively depends upon the availability of bio-based resources in different regions of the world, the new developments in the use of these materials, and the agricultural production as most of the biopolymers are directly/indirectly related to the field of agriculture [31, 32]. Applications of any biopolymer material in a particular application stresses on the specific physical, chemical, thermal, mechanical, economic, and degradation properties so as to offer significant advantages over their synthetic counterpart [33, 34]. In addition to these requirements, the easy availability of these biopolymeric materials is one of the most significant parameters in their commercialization as it is directly related to the final cost of the material in the market [35, 36]. Different kinds of biopolymer-based materials found in the nature can play one of the key roles in the modern industries to make the final product green [37, 38]. The use of biopolymer-based materials ranges from house hold applications to advanced applications in the defense [39, 40]. Different kinds of biopolymers depending upon their compositions can be used in a number of applications as follows: biomedical (e.g., stent, drug-delivery vehicles), food packaging, polymer composites for structural applications, as electrolyte for energy storage in super capacitor/battery, adhesives, cosmetic industries, and most frequently in textile industries [41, 42].

1.2 STRUCTURES OF SOME COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT BIOPOLYMERS

Among the various biopolymer materials, a few materials such as natural cellulosic fibers, starch, agar, chitosan, and poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), are being used in a number of applications [24, 43–49] . In the following section, we briefly describe some of the commercially important biopolymers, as their detailed introduction along with their modification/applications has been given in the upcoming chapters.

1.2.1 Natural Fibers

Among the various fibers available naturally/synthetically, natural cellulosic fibers are of much importance due to their intrinsic properties [48–50]. These fibers have been reported to be used by human beings for thousands of years ago starting from early civilization in the formation of bridges for on-foot passage as well as in naval ships to biomedical in the present time [48–50]. Depending on their extraction as well as on the part of the plant from which they are taken, their properties vary considerably [50]. Figure 1.1 shows the schematic representation of natural fibers [51].

FIGURE 1.1 Structure of lignocell ulosic natural fiber.

Reproduced with permission from Ref. [51]. © 2013 Elsevier.

Natural cellulosic fibers primarily contain cellulose, hemicellulose, and...