earticle

영어

This study focused on improving lignin for hydrogel production through oxypropylation with glycidol (GLY). Lignin is an amorphous natural aromatic polymer in which a phenylpropane (C6-C3) precursor is condensed by a carbon-carbon covalent bond or an ether bond. However, the study of lignin faces great problems such as non-uniformity and lack of functionality of lignin. To address this, lignin was modified using GLY, and its chemical structure was analyzed with FTIR and XPS to confirm that oxypropylation was successful. In addition, the results of NMR and GPC analyses showed that the molecular weight and hydroxyl group content increased compared to kraft lignin. Moreover, TGA analysis results showed that the more GLY there was, the higher the pyrolysis temperature. As a result, the hydrogel made with oxypropylated lignin had better structural integrity and a porous morphology, unlike one made with only kraft lignin. Therefore, the results of this study suggest potential for lignin modification and hydrogel applications.