Scientists make sustainable polymer from sugars in wood

Scientists make sustainable polymer from sugars in wood

The new polymer is made using xylose, a sugar found in wood. Credit: Leszek Kobusinski

Scientists from the University of Bath have made a sustainable polymer with the second most abundant sugar in nature, xylose.

Not only does the new nature-inspired material reduce the dependence on crude oil products, but its properties can also be easily controlled to make the material supple or crystalline.

The researchers from the University’s Center for Sustainable and Circular Technologies report that the polymer, from the polyether family, has a variety of applications, including as a building block for polyurethane, which is used in mattresses and shoe soles; as a bio-derivative alternative to polyethylene glycol, a chemical widely used in biomedicine; or to polyethylene oxide, sometimes used as electrolyte in batteries.

According to the team, additional functions can be added to this versatile polymer by binding other chemical groups, such as fluorescent probes or dyes, to the sugar molecule for biological or chemical observation applications.

The team can easily produce hundreds of grams of the material and expects production to be scalable quickly.

Dr Antoine Buchard, research fellow and reader of the Royal Society University at the Center for Sustainable and Circular Technologies, led the study.

He said: ‘We are very excited that we were able to produce this sustainable material from an abundant natural resource – wood.

‘The dependence of plastics and polymers on dwindling fossil fuels is a major problem, and bio-derived polymers – those derived from renewable nutrients such as plants – are part of the solution to make plastics sustainable.

” This polymer is particularly versatile because its physical and chemical properties can be easily adapted to make a crystalline or more of a flexible rubber, as well as to introduce very specific chemical functions.

‘It has so far been very difficult to achieve with bio-derived polymers.

“This means that with this polymer we can target a variety of applications, from packaging to healthcare or energy materials, in a more sustainable way.”

Like all sugars, xylose comes in two forms, which are mirror images of each other – called D and L.

The polymer uses the naturally occurring D-enantiomer of xylose, but the researchers have shown that combining it with the L-form makes the polymer even stronger.

The research team has filed a patent for their technology and wants to work closely with industrial collaborators to further increase production and investigate the applications of the new materials.


Researchers help develop sustainable polymers


More information:
Thomas M. McGuire et al., Control of crystallinity and stereocomplexation of synthetic carbohydrate polymers from d – and l – Xylose, Applied Chemistry International Edition (2020). DOI: 10.1002 / anie.202013562

Provided by the University of Bath

Quotation: Scientists make sustainable polymer from sugars in wood (2021, 11 January) obtained 11 January 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-sustainable-polymer-sugars-wood.html

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