Biomimetic Dehydrogenation of Non-Conventional Lignin Monomers on Cellulose Ferulate Interfaces.

Cellulose ferulate, synthesized by Mitsunobu reaction, was shaped into thin films and also used as aqueous dispersion to perform artificial lignin polymerization on anchor groups. This biomimetic approach was carried out in a Quartz crystal microbalance with a dissipation monitoring device to enable online monitoring of the dehydrogenation, applying H 2 O 2 and adsorbed horseradish peroxidase. The systematic use of phenylpropanoids with different oxidation states, i.e. ferulic acid, coniferyl aldehyde, coniferyl alcohol, and eugenol allowed to conclude structure-property relationships. Both the deposited material as well as the surface roughness increased with the hydrophobicity of the monomers. Beyond surface characterizations, py-GC-MS, HSQC NMR spectroscopy and Size exclusion chromatography measurements revealed the linkage types β-β, β-5, 5-5, and β-O-4 as well as the oligomeric character of the dehydrogenation products. All samples possessed an antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and could be used in field of antimicrobial biomaterials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.