Since their invention, conventional plastics have contributed in the betterment of the society in numerous ways, nevertheless their deleterious impacts on the natural ecosystems and living creatures is irrefutable. The management of plastic waste generated is a concern worldwide and therefore quest for the plastic alternates or bioplastics is imminent. Here, we explore the suitability of keratin from human hair waste as the candidate for the production of bioplastic films. Keratin extracted from hair was used to form the films or ‘kertics’ by solution casting and curing. Ethanediol, di-ethylene glycol and tri-ethylene glycol were used as novel plasticizers along with glycerol in the keratin film formation. The film prepared were of the thickness 190–220 µm with the area of about 4.54 ± 0.2 cm². Water uptake by G100, ED100, DEG100 and TEG100 films was recorded to be 4.8, 6.2, 4.9 and 6.3% respectively. FESEM analysis revealed that the films with 100 µl of 1% glycerol (G100) had continuous surface morphology except few pits of 0.1 µm, also DEG100 and TEG100 films have the most uniform surface morphology with no evident pits, holes or bulges. X-ray diffractogram showed characteristic peak of keratin at 19.5° and the d-spacing value observed was 0.45 nm. The FTIR studies suggested that the films retained keratin in non degraded form, and possessed the characteristic Amide peaks. The films were also found to be biodegradable in studies involving keratinophilic fungal strain of A. oryzae. These films could found potential applications in packaging industry, disposable items manufacturing and biomaterial generation.

自发明以来，传统塑料以多种方式为社会进步做出了贡献，但它们对自然生态系统和生物的有害影响是无可辩驳的。产生的塑料废物的管理是全世界关注的一个问题，因此寻找塑料替代品或生物塑料迫在眉睫。在这里，我们探索人类毛发废料中的角蛋白作为生产生物塑料薄膜的候选材料的适用性。从头发中提取的角蛋白通过溶液浇铸和固化形成薄膜或“角蛋白”。乙二醇、二乙二醇和三乙二醇与甘油一起用作角蛋白膜形成中的新型增塑剂。制备的薄膜厚度为190-220 µm，面积约为4.54 ± 0.2 cm ² 。 G100、ED100、DEG100和TEG100薄膜的吸水率分别为4.8%、6.2%、4.9%和6.3%。 FESEM 分析表明，含有 100 µl 1% 甘油（G100）的薄膜除了少数 0.1 µm 的凹坑外，具有连续的表面形貌，DEG100 和 TEG100 薄膜具有最均匀的表面形貌，没有明显的凹坑、孔洞或凸起。 X射线衍射图显示角蛋白的特征峰在19.5°，观察到的d-间距值为0.45 nm。 FTIR 研究表明，薄膜保留了未降解形式的角蛋白，并具有特征性的酰胺峰。在涉及米曲霉嗜角蛋白真菌菌株的研究中还发现这些薄膜是可生物降解的。这些薄膜可以在包装工业、一次性物品制造和生物材料生产中找到潜在的应用。