Research Projects

The lack of fossil fuels and the focus on green reactions have led to the search for environmentally friendly alternative bio-resources and benign techniques for the textile industry. Human hair (HH) contains 90% protein keratin, which can be used as a biodegradable polyamide material to replace non-renewable fossil fuel-based materials. However, conventional dissolution processes use toxic chemicals, resulting in solvent-contaminated biopolymers and degradation of proteins. This leads to mechanically poor products and environmental pollution. To address this issue, the aim is to optimize dissolution of HH waste using green chemistry and use the total solubilized HH directly to fabricate nanofibers for tissue engineering applications. An innovative combination of techniques from biotechnology, chemistry, material sciences, and nanotechnology will be implemented. The solubility trends of HH in different ionic liquids (ILs) or deep eutectic solvents (DEs) will be optimized. Extensive rheological characterization of HH dissolved in ILs/DEs will be performed, ensuring continuous nanofiber formation. Conductivity and surface tension will be evaluated to understand the solution properties of HH dissolved in ILs/DEs. The electrospinning setup will be customized to allow nanofiber formation with green solvents, and detailed surface, chemical, and mechanical characterization of the nanofibers will be investigated. This approach will be the first instance of electrospinning nanofibers directly from solubilized biomass, demonstrating a viable process from a renewable feedstock. The proposed project is important because it aims to connect the textile and healthcare industries in a sustainable way.