Bio-based polymers from renewable resources

Isolating new bio-based monomers from renewable resources - such as plant oils and biomass - to prepare well-defined polymers with complex structures, targeting a range of applications.

The majority of synthetic polymers are made from fossil fuels, using petroleum-derived chemical feedstocks.

This creates a dual problem. A finite resource, it is estimated that petroleum reserves will be depleted within the next 50 years. As a component of plastic, synthetic polymers contribute to the problem of plastic pollution that is so damaging to the environment.

However, while there are issues with plastics, they are incredibly useful materials, and the development of copolymers (comprising two or more monomers) has broadened their use in a variety of sectors. 

Block copolymers comprising a hydrophilic segment, and a hydrophobic segment (amphiphilic) can self-assemble in water and have shown great potential in a range of interesting application areas such as adhesives, coatings, membranes, biomedical, lithography and nanoreactors.

Recent advances in polymer science have opened commercialisation routes for block copolymers across a range of applications including dispersants, solid electrolytes in batteries, and in paints and coatings. However, these copolymers are typically derived from non-renewable petroleum feedstocks.

The increased interest in block copolymers coupled with growing environmental concerns makes the development of renewable block copolymers a critical research challenge. 

Research aims

We are preparing new polymers from renewable resources – derived from biomass – with tuneable properties that can be used in a range of applications spanning biomedical technologies and drug delivery, paints, adhesives and personal care products. 

We aim to: 

  • isolate new bio-based monomers from renewable resources, including plant oils and biomass
  • use these novel monomers to prepare well-defined polymers with complex structures, targeting a range of applications

Methodology

We use controlled radical based polymerisation techniques which allow for control over the architecture and composition of the resulting polymers. Well-defined block copolymers are accessible and targeted as they demonstrate superior properties over random copolymer equivalents. 

The project is ongoing and uses the Polymer Synthesis and Characterisation facilities within the Department of Materials and we also use analytical equipment in the Chemistry Department. 

This research is funded by an EPSRC New Investigator Award (EP/W019175/1) “Bio-based self-assembled polymers from renewable resources”. PhD student funding has been supported by Loughborough University and EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnerships (EP/R513088/1 and EP/T518098/1). 

Findings

We have successfully polymerised several types of renewable monomers, including acrylates based on lactic acid, acrylamide monomers derived from plant oils and commercially available monomers that can be accessed via biomass.

The polymerisation techniques used enable the synthesis of well-defined block copolymers. Access to these structures enables the preparation of copolymers with high performance for value-added applications, for example within the biomedical, adhesives, coatings and personal care industries. 

We have demonstrated the successful polymerisation induced self-assembly of monomers from the lactic acid portfolio and shown that we could synthesise block copolymer nanoparticles directly in water. These particles exhibited interesting temperature responsive properties.

Other findings show that we can prepare well-defined homo- and copolymers from monomers from plant oils and α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone based monomers. 

We have also demonstrated the transition towards more sustainable reaction conditions for these syntheses which is as equally important as using renewable materials. 

Impact

The intended impacts of this work are to develop renewable copolymers to replace non-renewable, fossil fuel derived synthetic copolymers. This research will impact on the scientific community through development of the field of renewable polymer synthesis. It will also be of interest to various industrial sectors, due to the drive towards sustainable products by consumers and society. 

References

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Meet our experts

Staff:

PhD students:

  • Sarah Woods
  • Oliver Harris