Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 11. The scientists, inspired by how spiders spin their biopolymer high-strength silk, used a similar processing mechanism to transform the corn protein “zein” into…
Chinese and Dutch scientists turn corn to sustainable plastic, inspired by spider silk
