Lignin Ultrafiltration Fractionation and Self-Assembly to Monodisperse Nanoparticles for Photonic Materials.

ABSTRACT: Lignin, a natural aromatic polymer, is a promising candidate for sustainable photonic materials. However, its heterogeneity hinders uniform nanoparticle production. This study employs membrane ultrafiltration to fractionate alkaline lignin into five molecular weight fractions (UL1-UL5) and synthesizes lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) via antisolvent self-assembly. Low-molecular-weight fractions yielded highly uniform, monodisperse LNPs (PDI < 0.1), while higher-molecular-weight fractions produced irregular particles. Notably, a strong correlation between lignin molecular weight and nanoparticle size was observed, with particle size decreasing as the molecular weight increased. Atomic force microscopy and density functional theory simulations provided insights into the intermolecular interaction

SUBMITTER: Long J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11840599 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature