Despite numerous accounts of biobased composite materials through blending and copolymerization of lignin and other polymers, there are no systematic studies connecting the synthetic methodology, molecular structure, and polymer topology with the rheological properties of these materials. In this report lignin-graft-poly­(lactide) copolymers are synthesized via three routes (indium and organocatalyzed “graft-from” methods as well as a “graft-to” method) and the resulting reaction products (shown to include linear PLAs, cyclic PLAs, and star-shaped lignin-graft-PLA copolymers) are investigated using chemical and rheological methods. The topology of the products of the graft-from methods is affected by the initial lignin concentration; polymerizations with low lignin loading generate cyclic PLAs, which can be identified by 10-fold lower viscosities compared to linear PLAs of the same molecular weight. Under higher lignin loadings, star-shaped lignin-graft-PLA copolymers are formed which show viscosities 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of comparable linear PLAs. Rheological studies show that cyclic PLAs lack a well-defined rubber plateau, whereas star-shaped lignin-graft-PLAs lack a significant G′ to G′′ cross-over. The rheological results coupled with thermogravimetric analysis give an indication to the structure of star-shaped lignin-graft-PLA copolymers, which are estimated to contain a small lignin core surrounded by PLA segments with molecular weights from 2.0 to 20 kg mol–1.

The self-assembly of amphiphilic small molecules in water leads to nanostructures with customizable structure-property relationships arising from their tunable chemistries. Characterization of these assemblies is generally limited to their static...

The polysaccharide composition and dynamics of the intact stem and leaf cell walls of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon are investigated to understand how developmental stage affects the polysaccharide structure of grass cell walls. 13 C enrichment of the entire plant allowed detailed analysis of the xylan structure, side-chain functionalization, dynamics, and interaction with cellulose using magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Quantitative one-dimensional 13 C NMR spectra and two-dimensional 13 C– 13 C correlation spectra indicate that stem and leaf cell walls contain less pectic polysaccharides compared to previously studied seedling primary cell walls. Between the stem and the leaf, the secondary cell wall-rich stem contains more xylan and more cellulose compared to the leaf. Moreover, the xylan chains are about twofold more acetylated and about 60% more ferulated in the stem. These highly acetylated and ferulated xylan chains adopt a twofold conformation more prevalently and interact more extensively with cellulose. These results support the notion that acetylated xylan is found more in the twofold screw conformation, which preferentially binds cellulose. This in turn promotes cellulose–lignin interactions that are essential for the formation of the secondary cell wall.

Strongly interacting amphiphilic molecules self-assemble in water. The flexibility of the amphiphiles and their head group repulsion mediate their nanostructure geometry.

Understanding thermal phase behavior within nanomaterials can inform their rational design for medical technologies like drug delivery systems and vaccines, as well as for energy technologies and catalysis. This study resolves thermal phases of discrete domains within a supramolecular aramid amphiphile (AA) nanoribbon. Dynamics are characterized by X-band EPR spectroscopy of spin labels positioned at specific sites through the nanoribbon cross-section. The fitting of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) line shapes reveals distinct conformational dynamics, with fastest dynamics at the surface water layer, intermediate dynamics within the flexible cationic head group domain, and slowest dynamics in the interior aramid domain. Measurement of conformational mobility as a function of temperature reveals first- and second-order phase transitions, with melting transitions observed in the surface and head group domains and a temperature-insensitive crystalline phase in the aramid domain. Arrhenius analysis yields activation energies of diffusion at each site. This work demonstrates that distinct thermal phase behaviors between adjacent nanodomains within a supramolecular nanostructure may be resolved and illustrates the utility of EPR spectroscopy for thermal phase characterization of nanostructures.