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oai:figshare.com:article/34039045 2026-10-01T05:13:31Z category_1 category_4 category_915 category_13 category_16 category_21 category_873 category_734 category_61 category_64 category_69 category_132 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

Interplay between Thermal Denaturation and Dynamic Covalent Chemistry Generates High-Performance Recyclable Protein Plastics Youwei Ma (12413596) Francesco Stellacci (824625) Biophysics Biochemistry Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified Genetics Physiology Biotechnology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Developmental Biology Cancer Inorganic Chemistry Infectious Diseases transform protein materials resulting protein networks dynamic covalent chemistry reducing water absorption enhanced hydrolytic stability recyclability remain scarce chemically recyclable bioplastics vu </ b bsa </ b protein thermal denaturation dynamic covalent cross chemically recyclable priori </ thermal denaturation polymer stability acidic water yet strategies work offers thereby stabilizing tensile strengths rich domains promising alternatives otherwise hydrolyzable hydrophobic β fresh perspective derived plastics conventional petroleum combined use biobased polymers 35 mpa Chemically recyclable and/or biobased polymers are promising alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived plastics, yet strategies that simultaneously improve their performance and recyclability remain scarce. Here, we report that the combined use of thermal denaturation and dynamic covalent chemistry can transform protein materials into strong, chemically recyclable bioplastics with enhanced hydrolytic stability. Cross-linking <i>a priori</i> brittle bovine serum albumin (<b>BSA</b>) with dynamic vinylogous urethane (<b>VU</b>) linkages produces robust plastics with tensile strengths of up to 35 MPa. Simultaneously, thermal denaturation at 80 °C restructures <b>BSA</b> from α-helices into more hydrophobic β-sheet-rich domains, reducing water absorption and thereby stabilizing the otherwise hydrolyzable <b>VU</b> cross-links. The resulting protein networks are chemically recyclable in acidic water, allowing the recovery of both <b>BSA</b> and cross-linkers. Overall, by exploiting the reciprocal interplay between dynamic covalent cross-linking and protein thermal denaturation, this work offers a fresh perspective to overcome the trade-off between polymer stability and recyclability. 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acsmacrolett.6c00434.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Interplay_between_Thermal_Denaturation_and_Dynamic_Covalent_Chemistry_Generates_High-Performance_Recyclable_Protein_Plastics/34039045 CC BY-NC 4.0