Wheat gluten-based renewable and biodegradable polymer materials with enhanced hydrophobicity by using epoxidized soybean oil as a modifier.

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) was applied as an additive for wheat gluten (WG) to modify the properties of the renewable and biodegradable natural polymer materials. Optimum intermolecular interactions and crosslinking between ESO chains and the WG matrix were achieved under alkaline conditions. The WGESO materials were heterogeneous on a scale of 20-30 nm, but the homogeneity was improved upon increasing the amount of glycerol as a plasticizer in the materials.

Formation of wheat-protein-based biomaterials through polymer grafting and crosslinking reactions to introduce new functional properties.

An insoluble wheat proteins-based polymer networks with new functional groups and positive charges were prepared through grafting-coupling reactions. The networks were also flexible with a lower glass transition temperature since the existence of the grafted mobile segments. The multi-component/multi-phase systems became relatively homogeneous on a scale of 20-30 nm due to strong intermolecular interactions and chemical cross-linking in the materials.

Chemical modification of wheat protein-based natural polymers: grafting and cross-linking reactions with poly(ethylene oxide) diglycidyl ether and ethyl diamine.

Mobile poly(ethylene oxide) diglycidyl ether (PEODGE) segments were chemically grafted onto a soluble wheat protein (WP), and different network structures were formed via coupling reactions with ethyl diamine (EDA) in different PEODGE/EDA (PE) ratios. When the PE ratio was 1:1, linear PEs were the predominant segments grafted onto WP chains and the whole WP-PEODGE-EDA (WPE) system was still soluble with an increased molecular weight. Reducing the amount of EDA in the systems produced insoluble cross-linked WPE networks.