Nano silicon carbide embodied soy protein bionanocomposites

Soy protein bionanocomposites were prepared by dispersion of silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles into the soy protein matrix through cost effective green technique. The chemical interaction of SiC and soy protein was studied due to the electronic interaction of delocalized lone pair of N atom of free and bonded –NH₂ groups of the protein chain with the vacant d‐orbital of Si atom of SiC, which was verified from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology of the prepared bionanocomposites was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM); whereas the dispersion of nano‐sized SiC within soy protein was viewed from high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). Crystalline nature of the bionanocomposites was investigated from X‐ray diffraction (XRD) study and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern. Thermal stability and chemical resistivity of the designed soy protein were substantially more than the virgin soy protein, with little scarification in biodegradability. The superior thermal and mechanical stability in along with chemical resistivity may enable the bionanocomposite materials for packaging applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E57–E65, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers