Totally bio-based and biodegradable plastic resins, so-called bioplastics, are receiving keen interest as a potential replacement for conventional petroleum-based plastics.  The driving force behind the interest are the increasing awareness of the global accumulation of improperly disposed plastic articles in environment, as well as the on-going strategic desire to secure an alternative source for the sustainable raw materials supply.  Obstacles to the wide-spread use of bioplastics till now have been the relatively poor physical properties of previously known bioplastics not suitable for the easy replacement of conventional commodity materials, traditionally held view on the high cost of bioplastics production, and the lack of availability for the stable commercial quantity supply.  Fortunately, a successful innovation in the polymer molecular design, improvement in the efficient production processes for bioplastics, and the recent entry of a new commercial bioplastics producer to supply the adequate quantity of materials have dramatically changed the landscape of the field.  Vibrational spectroscopy, such as IR, Raman, and THz spectroscopy, combined with two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis have assisted the early development of bioplastics, as well as the subsequent innovations associated with the field, by providing critical insight into this unique and often complex class of materials at the molecular and supramolecular scale.  Some of the exciting results from independent and joint research activities at University of Delaware and industrial laboratories focused on the vibrational spectroscopy study of bioplastics are highlighted.

Vibrational spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation analysis of bioplastics

255th National Meeting (2018)

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