Water Processable Bioplastic Films from Functionalized Protein Fibrils

A combination of mechanochemistry and aqueous self-assembly is employed to prepare protein nanofibrils (PNFs) functionalized with perylene diimide (PDI) dyes. These materials are then mixed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) casted into bioplastic films. The functionalization process not only results in luminescent hybrid materials, but the presence dye modifies physical properties PNFs. Films formed from PNFs PDIs display anisotropic organization, which enables emission polarized light. Crucially, PDI dyes improves stability PNF-PVA films water moreover processable when wet. By applying water, can be glued together or self-healed by water. Mechanochemical methodology thus for modifying materials. This represents a new highly flexible novel strategy tuning both functionality