2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Pre and Post-Processing Effects of Protein Structure in Dynamic Thermosets
Petroleum-based polymers are not biodegradable but are commonly used in various applications, including medical supplies, food packaging, and for convenience. To lessen the environmental impact, polymers composed of proteins have been investigated to replace petroleum-based ones. In this study, we measured effects of processing on protein structure and mechanical properties on copolymers prepared using globular and fibrillized proteins. The copolymer was produced through a series of processes, including fibrillating the protein using an HCl solution, performing protein methacrylation to enable polymerization, and polymerizing with an acrylate comonomer. After the protein-copolymer was made, the polymers were remolded under heat and pressure and later analyzed for their properties. We characterized the pre and post processed copolymers using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to compare the ratio of the ɑ helices to β sheets. The polymers were also subjected to a swell test to measure their crosslink densities. In addition, the mechanical properties of the polymers were also recorded through a tensile test. Through these tests, we found that for proteins that were both fibrillized and methacrylated, the ratios of alpha helices to beta sheets were more consistent, their polymer strengths was higher, and their polymer crosslink density was higher compared to polymers that were just methacrylated.