Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #411441
Research Project: Development of Novel Cottonseed Products and Processes

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: NMR analyses and statistical modeling of biobased polymer microstructures – A selected review

Author
item Cheng, Huai
item ASAKURA, TETSUO - Tokyo University Of Agriculture & Technology
item SUGANUMA, KOTO - Teijin Pharma Limited
item LAGARON, JOSE - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos
item MELENDEZ-RODRIGUEZ,, BEATRIZ - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos
item Biswas, Atanu

Submitted to: Polymers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2024
Publication Date: 2/24/2024
Citation: Cheng, H.N., Asakura, T., Suganuma, K., Lagaron, J.M., Melendez-Rodriguez,, B., Biswas, A. 2024. NMR analyses and statistical modeling of biobased polymer microstructures – A selected review. Polymers. 16. Article 620. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16050620.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16050620

Interpretive Summary: One of the goals of agricultural research is to find higher-value uses of agro-based materials. For such applications, correlations between the structures of these materials and the end-use properties are essential. NMR is known to be an excellent tool for the characterization of the chemical structure of polymers, particularly relating to polymer composition, microstructure and stereochemistry. For complex polymers, statistical modeling is often helpful as a method to extract detailed information from the NMR data. Because biobased materials are frequently structurally complex, the combination of NMR and statistical models has been found to be useful for a number of such materials. In this review, the NMR/statistical modeling of several biobased materials has been summarized in order to show how detailed structural information can be derived from the NMR data. This article serves as a reference material and as a useful guide for future workers interested in the structural studies of biobased materials.

Technical Abstract: NMR analysis combined with statistical modeling offers a powerful approach to investigate the microstructures of polymers. This article provides a selective review of the developments in both NMR analysis of biobased polymers and the statistical models that can be used to characterize these materials. The information obtained from NMR and statistical models can provide insights into the microstructure and stereochemistry of appropriate biobased polymers and establish a systematic approach for analysis. In suitable cases, the analysis can help optimize the synthetic procedures and facilitate the development of new or modified polymeric materials for various applications. Examples are given of the studies of poly(hydroxyalkanoates), poly(lactic acid), and applicable polysaccharides, e.g., alginate, pectin, and chitosan.