Photopolymerization of keratin-based thiol-ene coatings

Keratin extracted from wool by sulphitolysis, up to a content of 15 wt/wt% was used as a natural reinforcing agent for cross-linked polymers obtained by photopolymerization of thiol-ene systems. The keratin-based photocured coatings obtained show significant improvement in terms of thermal stability, crosslinking density, Tg values and mechanical properties. Moreover, a clear increase of the biodegradability of the starting thiol-ene polymer matrix was induced by the presence of the keratin biopolymer as reinforcement. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.