Tianda develops new DNA bioplastics　

It is expected to replace petroleum-based plastics in some applications

Sinochem News on December 6, the reporter learned from Tianjin University that the team of Professor Yang Dayong of the school and the Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemical have developed a new type of DNA bioplastic, which is expected to replace petroleum-based plastics in some application fields

"The essence of DNA is a green natural biopolymer with precise and controllable chemical structure and biological functions.

In the development of DNA bioplastics, Yang Dayong’s team put forward the concept of sustainable DNA bioplastics and developed a new strategy for assembling biomass DNA with renewable ionomers, using the non-covalent bond between DNA and ionomers.

This kind of plastic raw materials are all derived from bio-renewable resources, including natural DNA and ionomers, with abundant raw materials

According to Yang Dayong, the existing industrialized equipment can quickly extract a large amount of biomass DNA from plants, algae, and bacteria.

In terms of applications, DNA bioplastics have excellent foldability and low-temperature stability, and can be processed into multi-chamber microstructures.

DNA plastics can also be processed into biological patches, which combine the unique biological characteristics of DNA molecules to play a role in the field of biomedicine

Professor Zhang Kunyu from the Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemical said that the new functionalized ionomers can not only be used in the synthesis of DNA plastics, but also can be used as modified raw materials for other natural polymer materials and bio-based plastics to prepare high-performance multi-materials and broaden polylactic acid.

He Shengbao, President of the Petrochemical Research Institute of PetroChina, said that the research institute has established a research institute of hydrogen energy, biochemical and new materials, aiming to explore disruptive new energy and new materials to cope with the advent of a new round of global industrial revolution and the increasing severity.

The plastics industry is a pillar industry of the national economy.

The abandonment of a large amount of petroleum-based plastics is a huge waste of non-renewable resources, and it also greatly exacerbates the energy crisis

DNA is the genetic material of life, which exists widely in nature, and is a kind of inexhaustible biopolymer

The DNA in DNA bioplastic raw materials comes from the separation and extraction of waste biomass, and the ionomer comes from glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel