On the propensity of lignin to associate: A size exclusion chromatography study with lignin derivatives isolated from different plant species

Lignins isolated from softwoods were found to associate/dissociate to a greater extent than lignins from hardwoods and wheat straw. Extensive characterization of these lignins revealed salient features of these events: association/dissociation phenomena are governed by chain entanglements operating within different macromolecules and intermolecular orbital interactions, dominated by those of the HOMO-LUMO type.