Colloidal lignin particles (CLPs) fabricated from lignin have been demonstrated as high-value products in manifolds including drug-delivery carriers, Pickering emulsions and nano-composites, due to their spherical shape, nanoscaled size, water dispersibility and well-defined surface chemistry. However, the dissolution of CLPs at alkaline condition and organic solvents hurdles their application in processes and products requiring hash conditions.<br/><br/>In this study, we propose a simple and low-cost method to cross-link CLPs via epoxy reaction by employing bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE). The cross-linking follows two steps: first, BADGE is encapsulated in the CLPs via co-nanoprecipitation of softwood kraft lignin (SKL) and BADGE solution against water; second, CLPs are cross-linked by BADGE from inside out at elevated temperature. This approach enables stabilization of the particles while avoiding inter-article crosslinking and aggregation. Overall, we found that the mass ratio of BADGE to SKL played a pivotal role in the encapsulation as well as cross-linking step. At too low mass ratio, BADGE is not sufficient to cross-link CLPs. Too high mass ratio, on the other hand, reduces the uniformity of the particles. With well-tuned mass ratio of BADGE to SKL, CLPs can efficiently be cross-linked yet maintaining their size uniformity, resulting in particles around 90 nm (PDI &lt; 0.2). Preliminary results indicate that the cross-linked particles are stable against high pH and organic solvent. Further surface-functionization of the cross-linked particles at alkaline condition or in organic solvent will be investigated and demonstrated.

Facile method to stabilize colloidal lignin particles by intraparticle cross-linking

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.