Melt Processing of Unrefined Horn Keratin - Archive ouverte HAL
Article Dans Une Revue ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Année : 2023

Melt Processing of Unrefined Horn Keratin

Vanessa Durrieu
G. Vaca-Medina
A. Rouilly

Résumé

The hierarchical structure of keratin makes it challenging to process without chemical modification. In this work, we show that using uniaxial thermocompression of unrefined horn powder, it is possible to “mold” the keratin macromolecules and process it like a convenience polymer, by maintaining a certain moisture content and applying high pressure. The processing window was delimited by the denaturation and thermal degradation temperatures of keratin. The optimization of processing parameters, such as moisture content, temperature, pressure, and holding time, was conducted with the aim of improving the mechanical properties of the resulting materials. Alternative thermocompression processes implementing different heating and cooling techniques were also tested and compared. The most important process parameter was the efficient cooling step to keep the material under pressure along the entire temperature cycle. The material obtained through this process exhibited remarkable strength, stiffness, water resistance, and thermal stability, making it a potential substitute for synthetic thermoplastic polymers and currently available biobased materials (i.e., poly(lactic acid), cellulose acetate). The study opens new avenues for further research on other sources of scleroproteins and process optimization, offering promising prospects for the development of biopolymer-based materials with superior properties.
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Dates et versions

hal-04295501 , version 1 (20-11-2023)

Identifiants

Citer

M. Jumeaux, F. Touchaleaume, Vanessa Durrieu, V. Vandenbossche, G. Vaca-Medina, et al.. Melt Processing of Unrefined Horn Keratin. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2023, 11 (42), pp.15423-15431. ⟨10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c04502⟩. ⟨hal-04295501⟩
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