A Soy Protein-Based Composite Film with a Hierarchical Structure Inspired by Nacre

Soy protein-based composite film is a potential replacement for petroleum-based film with multipurpose applica-tions and cleaner production.It is difficult to improve both the tensile strength and toughness of a protein-based film without sacrificing its elongation.In this study,inspired by the hierarchical structure of nacre,a facile yet delicate strategy was developed to fabricate a novel bio-based film with excellent toughness and high strength.Triglycidylamine(TGA)crosslinked soy protein(SPI)as hard phase and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer(TPU)as soft phase comprise an alternative lay-up hierarchical structure.The interface of these two phases is enhanced using triglycidylamine(TGA)surface-modified TPU(MTPU).The tensile strength of SPI/MTPU/TGA films increases by 392%to 7.78 MPa and their toughness increases by 391%to 8.50 MJ/m^(3) compared to soy protein/glycerol film.The proposed hierarchical structure can also be extended to other high-performance materials and polymers.