Correlation of Enzymatic Depolymerization Rates with the Structure of Polyethylene-Like Long-Chain Aliphatic Polyesters.

ABSTRACT: Long-chain aliphatic polyesters are emerging sustainable materials that exhibit polyethylene-like properties while being amenable to chemical recycling and biodegradation. However, varying polyester chemical structures results in markedly different degradation rates, which cannot be predicted from commonly correlated bulk polyester properties, such as polymer melting temperature. To elucidate these structure-degradability relationships, long-chain polyesters varying in their monomer composition and crystallinity were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis, the rates of which were quantified via detection of formed monomers. Copolymers with poorly water-soluble, long-chain diol monomers (e.g., 1,18-octadecanediol) demonstrated strongly reduced depolymerization rates compared to copolymers with s

SUBMITTER: Schwab ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11483938 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature