title: Biodegradable pectin/clay aerogels.
abstract: Biodegradable, foamlike materials based on renewable pectin and sodium montmorillonite clay were fabricated through a simple, environmentally friendly freeze-drying process. The addition of multivalent cations (Ca(2+) and Al(3+)) resulted in apparent cross-linking of the polymer and enhancement of aerogel properties. The compressive properties increased as the solid contents (both pectin and clay) increased; moduli in the range of 0.04-114 MPa were obtained for materials with bulk densities ranging from 0.03 g/cm(3) to 0.19 g/cm(3), accompanied by microstructural changes from a lamellar structure to a cellular structure. Biodegradability of the aerogels was investigated by detecting CO2 release for 4 weeks in compost media. The results revealed that pectin aerogels possess higher biodegradation rates than wheat starch, which is often used as a standard for effective biodegradation. The addition of clay and multivalent cations surprisingly increased the biodegradation rates.
authors: Center for Degradable and Flame-Retardant Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, People's Republic of China.
authors: Hong-Bing
authors: HB
authors: Chen
authors: Bor-Sen
authors: BS
authors: Chiou
authors: Yu-Zhong
authors: YZ
authors: Wang
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Schiraldi
mesh_terms: D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D000077215:Clay; D007700:Kinetics; D010368:Pectins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D011108:Polymers; D010368:Pectins; D000077215:Clay