“One-for-all” on-demand multifunctional fluorescent amphoteric polymers achieving breakthrough leather eco-manufacturing evolution†

Abstract

The traditional leather industry holds a significant position within the global manufacturing sector, contributing both economically and socially. Relentless multifunctional material-innovation for sustainable leather-manufacture is the only pathway to completely solve the current environmental concerns including widescale discharge of waste and chemicals. Herein, we address these limitations by developing a scalable and sustainable “one-for-all” strategy based on a synthetic multifunctional fluorescent amphoteric polymer (referred to as AADs) through free radical polymerization and amidation grafting reactions achieving a breakthrough leather eco-manufacturing evolution. The resulting AADs effectively integrate the all-round multifunctionalities of tanning, retanning, fatliquoring, regulable color dyeing, and anti-counterfeiting marking into leather. The interfacial multi-point cross-linking of AADs with natural collagen fibers in leather enhances crust-leather with a shrinkage temperature (T_s) exceeding 77 °C and standard-compliant mechanical properties, scratch resistance, and fluorescence for anti-counterfeiting purposes through the creation of distinctive patterns such as barcodes and QR codes. The formative covalent-bonding between the two significantly enhances dye fixation, resulting in leathers with superior durability against rubbing and washing. This innovative process not only reduces the processing time from 1095–2360 min to 500 min and cuts down leather chemical usage by 47.5–74.8%, but also lowers water consumption by 82.6–90% through streamlining multiple primary procedures into a single process. Furthermore, AADs robustly minimize human health risks by 55–71.6% and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 38.2–52.4% and environmental impacts by 49.3–58.8%, lowering the carbon and environmental footprint of leather production. The innovation of the “one-for-all” process based on emerging multifunctional materials aligns with global sustainability goals, fundamentally aiding the leather industry in transitioning towards more sustainable practices.