Bio-adhesives from unfolded soy protein reinforced by nano-chitosan for sustainable textile industry

Biodegradable adhesives from nano-chitosan-reinforced unfolded soy protein have been fabricated to potentially reduce environmental pollution and drive a sustainable textile industry. The weak adhesion strength and poor water stability of soy protein films limit their use in the textile industry. In this work, the influence of sodium-dodecyl-sulfonate on unfolding of soy protein, and the reinforcement effects of nano-chitosan on the tensile properties of unfolded soy protein adhesives were investigated. The results demonstrate that the bio-adhesives developed had 157% and 85% increments on tensile strength and water stability compared with unmodified soy protein. Also, dry and wet strength of the pulp/viscose wet-laid nonwovens were increased 43% and over 100% after adhesion, indicating that modified soy protein shows promise for use as a textile bio-adhesive for sustainable industry.