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. 2023 Nov 14;17(21):20962-20967.
doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c02528. Epub 2023 Oct 23.

Emergent Self-Assembly of Sustainable Plastics Based on Amino Acid Nanocrystals

Angelica Niazov-Elkan  1 , Haim Weissman  1 , Eyal Shimoni  2 , XiaoMeng Sui  1   2 , Yishay Feldman  2 , H Daniel Wagner  1 , Boris Rybtchinski  1
Affiliations

Emergent Self-Assembly of Sustainable Plastics Based on Amino Acid Nanocrystals

Angelica Niazov-Elkan et al. ACS Nano. .

Abstract

Development of biodegradable plastic materials is of primary importance in view of acute environmental and health problems associated with the accumulation of plastic waste. We fabricated a biodegradable composite material based on hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer and tyrosine nanocrystals, which demonstrates enhanced strength and ductility (typically mutually excluding properties), superior to most biodegradable plastics. This emergent behavior results from an assembly pattern that leads to a uniform nanoscale morphology and strong interactions between the components. Water-resistant biodegradable composites encapsulated with hydrophobic polycaprolactone as a protection layer were also fabricated. Self-assembly of robust sustainable plastics with emergent properties by using readily available building blocks provides a valuable toolbox for creating sustainable materials.

Keywords: Sustainable plastic; crystal growth; self-assembly; sustainable composite; tyrosine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Molecular structure of Tyr and HEC.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HEC/Tyr (10:3, wt %) film. (a) A photograph of the film. (a–c) SEM images: (b) top view; (c) cross section; (d) zoomed-in image of the cross section.
Figure 3
Figure 3
XRD diffractograms of Tyr crystals, HEC, and HEC/Tyr hybrids.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Representative stress–strain curves of HEC (red) and HEC/Tyr hybrids: 10:2 (w/w, blue), 10:3 (w/w, black), 10:4 (w/w, green); (b) HEC/Tyr (10/3, w/w) hybrid stripe, 40-μm thick, lifting 6-kg weight.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Biodegradation of the plastics.
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM (a–c) and cryo-SEM images (d–f) of Tyr crystal growth within aqueous HEC solution following addition of Tyr dissolved in hot water (final composition: HEC:Tyr = 10:3). (a) Immediately after mixing; (b) 30 min after mixing; (c) 1 h; (d) 90 min; (e–f) mature hybrid before water evaporation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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