Pulp cellulose-based core–sheath structure based on hyperbranched grafting strategy for development of reinforced soybean adhesive

Formaldehyde adhesive is the primary source of indoor formaldehyde pollution, posing a serious threat to human health. Soybean meal (SM), as an abundant biomacromolecule and co-product of soybean oil industry, emerges as a promising alternative to formaldehyde adhesive. However, the SM adhesive exhibits inferior water resistance and unsatisfactory bonding strength. In this study, a novel core–sheath structure with an inexpensive pulp cellulose core and a hyperbranched polymer sheath is synthesized and introduced into SM to develop a robust bio-based adhesive. Specifically, aldehyde-functionalized pulp cellulose is grafted with hyperbranched polyamide, which is terminated via epoxy groups, to synthesize a core–sheath hybrid (APC@HBPA-EP). The core–sheath APC@HBPA-EP serves as both a crosslinker and an enhancer. The results show that the wet shear strength of the modified SM adhesive exhibits a remarkable 520 % increase to 0.93 MPa, and its dry shear strength reaches 2.10 MPa, meeting the established indoor use standards. The Young's modulus of the modified SM adhesive shows a significant 282 % increase to 19.27 GPa. Additionally, the modified SM adhesive exhibited superior impact toughness (7.48 KJ/m2), which increased by 24 times compared with pure SM adhesive. This study provides a versatile strategy for developing robust protein adhesives, hydrogel patch, and composite coatings.