High-tensile chitin films regenerated from cryogenic aqueous phosphoric acid

Jiahao Li; Zhengzheng Hao; Bijia Wang; Xueling Feng; Zhiping Mao; Xiaofeng Sui

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120826

High-tensile chitin films regenerated from cryogenic aqueous phosphoric acid

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Jul 15:312:120826. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120826. Epub 2023 Mar 21.

Authors

Jiahao Li¹, Zhengzheng Hao¹, Bijia Wang², Xueling Feng³, Zhiping Mao³, Xiaofeng Sui⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Science & Technology of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China.
² Key Lab of Science & Technology of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: bwang@dhu.edu.cn.
³ Key Lab of Science & Technology of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; National Engineering Research Center for Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Key Lab of Science & Technology of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Textile Intelligent Manufacturing, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: suixf@dhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37059553
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120826

Abstract

The abuse of non-renewable fossil resources and the resulting plastic pollution have posed a great burden on the environment. Fortunately, renewable bio-macromolecules have shown great potential to replace synthetic plastics in fields ranging from biomedical applications, and energy storage to flexible electronics. However, the potential of recalcitrant polysaccharides, such as chitin, in the above-mentioned fields have not been fully exploited because of its poor processability, which is ultimately due to the lack of suitable, economical, and environmentally friendly solvent for it. Herein, we demonstrate an efficient and stable strategy for the fabrication of high-strength chitin films from concentrated chitin solutions in cryogenic 85 wt% aqueous phosphoric acid (aq. H₃PO₄). The regeneration conditions, including the nature of the coagulation bath and its temperature are important variables affecting the reassembly of chitin molecules and hence the structure and micromorphology of the films. Uniaxial orientation of the chitin molecules by applying tension to the RCh hydrogels further endows the films with enhanced mechanical properties of up to 235 MPa and 6.7 GPa in tensile strength and Young's modulus, respectively.

Keywords: Chitin dissolution; Cryogenic phosphoric acid; Degree of degradation; Regenerated chitin films.