Design and fabrication of xylan-graft-poly (methyl methacrylate) thermoplastic via SARA ATRP

Jing Pan; Xueqing Yan; Siyu Jia; Ziwen Lv; Jing Bian; Jun Rao; Pai Peng; Junli Ren; Feng Peng

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139379

Design and fabrication of xylan-graft-poly (methyl methacrylate) thermoplastic via SARA ATRP

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 2:139379. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139379. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jing Pan¹, Xueqing Yan¹, Siyu Jia¹, Ziwen Lv¹, Jing Bian¹, Jun Rao², Pai Peng³, Junli Ren⁴, Feng Peng⁵

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
² Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: junrao@bjfu.edu.cn.
³ Northwest A&F University, College of Forestry, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China.
⁵ Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: fengpeng@bjfu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39755299
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139379

Abstract

Due to the emphasis on the environmental and health issues caused by petroleum-based plastics, renewable lignocellulosic materials emerge as promising substitutes. However, their practical application remains hindered by unsatisfactory properties such as fragility and sensitivity to water. Dealing with the challenge of non-thermal processing of xylan and addressing the issue of performance degradation resulting from the hygroscopicity of materials. In this work, the xylan-graft-poly (methyl methacrylate) (X-g-PMMA) copolymers with adjustable structure and properties were prepared via supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization (SARA ATRP). Subsequently, xylan-g-PMMA plastic can be obtained by hot-press. The graft chain length and density were controlled by regulating the monomer concentration and the bromine content. The star-shaped structure of the polymer leads to a significant increase in both the mechanical strength and oxygen barrier properties of the plastic, with the strength at break and modulus reaching 48.35 ± 4.11 MPa and 23.0 ± 0.93 GPa, respectively, and the oxygen permeability reaching 0.389× 10^-7 cm³ m m^-2 day Pa. The plastic has good water resistance and light transmittance, making it possible to apply in packaging material. More importantly, this grafting method has been proven to be a potent tool for designing xylan-reinforced composites materials for various applications.

Keywords: Graft copolymers; Mechanical properties; SARA ATRP; Thermoplastic; Xylan.