Green biocomposites from wheat gluten and hydroxyethyl cellulose: Processing and properties

Environmentally friendly biocomposites were prepared by conventional blending wheat gluten (WG) as matrix, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as filler and glycerol as plasticizer followed by thermo-molding of the mixture at 120 °C to crosslinking the matrix. Moisture absorption, tensile properties (Young's modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break), dynamic mechanical analysis and dynamic rheology were evaluated in relation to HEC content. Influence of molding time was also investigated. It was found that addition of HEC can significantly improve Young's modulus and tensile strength of the biocomposites, which is accompanied by a decrease in loss factor in the glass transition temperature region of the gluten-rich phase. The mechanical properties and molecular relaxation could be further tailored by adjusting the molding time to control the crosslinking of the WG matrix.