Development of biobased mildew- and bacterial resistant adhesives through keratin molecule recombination

Protein-based adhesives have attracted substantial consideration due to their environmentally friendly advantages and the abundance of functional groups they possess. However, these adhesives suffered from poor properties, including poor bonding strength, low stability, and limited resistance to mildew, which hindered their widespread application in the wood processing sector. In this study, a straightforward and practical strategy for preparing keratin-based wood adhesives was presented. By incorporating hydrogen peroxide, the performance of the fabricated adhesives was significantly reinforced. The adhesion forces between wood substrates reached up to approximately 2.4 and 1.3 MPa under dry and wet conditions, respectively. All components used in the adhesive were derived from biomass and low cost. Furthermore, this keratin-based adhesive demonstrated excellent mildew resistance and bactericidal properties compared to other modified protein adhesives. Therefore, this study proposed an eco-friendly and effective approach to developing high-performance, multifunctional, and fully biobased protein adhesives.