Pollen: A Novel, Biorenewable Filler for Polymer Composites

Abstract

Abstract Pollen has an exine shell with remarkable chemical stability, high‐strength, and unique microstructures that suggest use as a biorenewable polymer filler. Pollen‐filled polymers may offer potential for light‐weight, high‐strength materials that can displace some petroleum‐derived content with a sustainable plant‐based alternative. We report the first demonstration of the incorporation of pollen grains (short ragweed) on the mechanical, interfacial, and thermal properties of two polymers, poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and polystyrene (PS). Under certain solvent and annealing conditions, PS mechanical properties were improved synergistically upon addition of pollen, while those of PCL were always degraded, in strong agreement with wetting behavior of the polymer–pollen interface. magnified image