ORGS5-0338
Engineered Gluten-Based Biofibers for Sustainable Down-Alternative with Superior Thermal Insulation
Topic
GS5. Graduate Student Oral Session V: Sustainable Polymers and Circular Materials
When and Where
Sep 28, 2026
14:48 - 15:00
Room 105
Session Chairs
Taehoo CHANG
Taejun EOM
Chae Bin KIM
Presenter(s)
Soyeon Kim (BK21 FOUR Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Traditional insulation fillers, such as goose and duck down, have been widely used in apparel and bedding due to their excellent thermal retention. However, concerns regarding animal welfare and environmental impacts have increased the demand for sustainable alternatives. In this study, we developed an eco-friendly insulation fiber using gluten, a plant-derived protein with abundant disulfide cross-links that provide inherent resistance to water and organic solvents. A chemical modification strategy involving protein structure regulation, cross-linking, and surface treatment was employed to produce mechanically robust and hydrophobic gluten-based biofibers. The resulting gluten-based biofibers exhibited an average diameter of 7.4 μm, a compressive strength of 350 kPa, and a water contact angle of 105°. Furthermore, the fibers demonstrated excellent thermal insulation performance with a thermal conductivity of 0.01 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ and a high visible-light reflectance of 90%. These results highlight the potential of disulfide-rich plant proteins as high-performance insulation materials and suggest that gluten-based fibers can serve as a sustainable and ethical alternative to conventional down-based insulation.
