Is it possible to functionalize Haslea ostrearia silica frustules with polyisoprene chains and use them as charges in the synthesis of new elastomeric materials?Thuy_Duong Vo1 , Quentin Tevenot1, Romain Gastineau2, Jean-Luc Mouget3, Pamela Pasetto1

¹ Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans, UMR CNRS 6283, Université du Maine, Le Mans, France

² Palaeoceanology Unit, University of Szczecin, Poland

³ FR CNRS 3473 IUML, Mer-Molécules-Santé (MMS), Le Mans Université, France

The marine diatom Haslea ostrearia is currently studied and cultivated for the production of the blue pigment marennine, which is responsible for the greening of oysters in the French region of Marenne Oleron (Fine de claire verte), and which has also been shown to possess antiviral and antibacterial activity. The upscale in the production of the microalgae is currently carried out in view of the multiple applications of marennine and other valuable compounds produced by diatoms. In this framework, the silica frustules will accumulate in bioreactors and be considered as a waste. This work aimed at investigating the possibility of recycling these frustules’ crumbs as inorganic charges to be inserted in the formulation of elastomeric materials to reinforce mechanical properties. The case of natural rubber derived materials has been considered and the frustules have been functionalized with original polyisoprene oligomers to make them more hydrophobic and easier to disperse in the matrix than the unfunctionalized hydrophilic silica particles.