Preparation and properties of molded blends of wheat gluten and cationic water‐borne polyurethanes |
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| Authors: | Ni Zhong Qiaolong Yuan |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Polymeric Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China |
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| Abstract: | Cationic water‐borne polyurethanes (CWPU) were prepared and blended with wheat gluten (WG) in aqueous dispersion. The freeze‐dried blend powders of WG/CWPU were thermally compression‐molded into sheets. The tensile strength of the WG/CWPU blends decreased with increasing CWPU content, showing a relationship between the composition of the sheets and their mechanical properties. FTIR spectra reveal that the free carbonyl in the blend results in a decrease in the hydrogen‐bonding interaction of the WG. SEM images show that the morphology of the cross‐sections of the blends is homogenous. The dynamic thermal behavior of the blends illustrates that the WG is plasticized by CWPU, with the result that the relaxation transition of the WG becomes broader and the temperature transition of WG changes slightly. The water resistance of the WG was also improved by blending it with the CWPU. Biodegradation of the blends in soil resulted in a loss in mass of the samples of more than 60% w/w after burial for 15 days. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 |
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| Keywords: | cationic water‐borne polyurethane wheat gluten blend physical properties biodegradability |
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