Green hybrid materials from biomass waste: Distiller’s grains/epoxy vitrimer—Green synthesis, superior properties, and potential application in solar-thermal-electric generator

Distiller’s grains (DG) are a major biomass waste product in the ethanol and brewing industries, and have shown great potential as fillers for polymer composites. However, combining DG with polymer matrixes using traditional method often involves tedious pre-modification of DG and/or the use of costly coupling agents, significantly increasing the preparation cost of the final composite materials. In this study, we present an environmentally friendly approach for preparing a new type of green composite, termed distiller’s grains/epoxy vitrimer hybrid materials (EV@DG). This method eliminates the need for laborious pre-modifications of DG, as well as the use of solvents and coupling agents. The resulting EV@DG hybrid materials exhibit superior mechanical properties—approximately 90 % increase in tensile strength and 400 % increase in Young’s modulus—along with high thermal stability (T d,max of 357.63°C) and excellent reprocessability. Moreover, the EV@DGs demonstrate impressive photothermal conversion capabilities, positioning them as promising candidates for the fabrication of solar-thermal-electric generator.