Biopolymers exhibit a wide variety of desirable properties that make them attractive components of sustainable composite materials.  Native biopolymer structure is integral to material properties but is difficult to preserve (recreate) during processing.  Recently, our group has demonstrated ionic liquid-based processing methods that swell and mobilize biopolymers to create composites but that also maintain native biopolymer (micro)structures.  Additionally, these methods allow physical entrapment of selected materials in biopolymer fiber matrices useful for a variety of applications.  Scanning electron microscopy, infrared, and fluorescence spectromicroscopy as well as physical properties data are presented for selected biocomposites.

Controlled modification of biopolymers using ionic liquids

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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