Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films

The inherent brittleness of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) prevents its use as a substitute of petroleum-based polymers. Low molecular weight plasticizers, such as tributyl 2-acetyl citrate (TAC), cannot properly solve this issue. Herein, PHB films were obtained using a biosynthesized poly(3-hydroxyo...

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Main Authors: Adriana Nicoleta Frone, Cristian Andi Nicolae, Mihaela Carmen Eremia, Vlad Tofan, Marius Ghiurea, Ioana Chiulan, Elena Radu, Celina Maria Damian, Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/11/2446
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author Adriana Nicoleta Frone
Cristian Andi Nicolae
Mihaela Carmen Eremia
Vlad Tofan
Marius Ghiurea
Ioana Chiulan
Elena Radu
Celina Maria Damian
Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
author_facet Adriana Nicoleta Frone
Cristian Andi Nicolae
Mihaela Carmen Eremia
Vlad Tofan
Marius Ghiurea
Ioana Chiulan
Elena Radu
Celina Maria Damian
Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
author_sort Adriana Nicoleta Frone
collection DOAJ
description The inherent brittleness of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) prevents its use as a substitute of petroleum-based polymers. Low molecular weight plasticizers, such as tributyl 2-acetyl citrate (TAC), cannot properly solve this issue. Herein, PHB films were obtained using a biosynthesized poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) and a commercially available TAC as toughening agents. The use of TAC strongly decreased the PHB thermal stability up to 200 °C due to the loss of low boiling point plasticizer, while minor weight loss was noticed at this temperature for the PHB-PHO blend. Both agents shifted the glass transition temperature of PHB to a lower temperature, the effect being more pronounced for TAC. The elongation at break of PHB increased by 700% after PHO addition and by only 185% in the case of TAC; this demonstrates an important toughening effect of the polymeric modifier. Migration of TAC to the upper surface of the films and no sign of migration in the case of PHO were highlighted by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results. In vitro biocompatibility tests showed that all the PHB films are non-toxic towards L929 cells and have no proinflammatory immune response. The use of PHO as a toughening agent in PHB represents an attractive solution to its brittleness in the case of packaging and biomedical applications while conserving its biodegradability and biocompatibility.
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spelling doaj.art-79d338f952f94a7d955ae97904c7b2912023-11-20T18:10:03ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602020-10-011211244610.3390/polym12112446Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) FilmsAdriana Nicoleta Frone0Cristian Andi Nicolae1Mihaela Carmen Eremia2Vlad Tofan3Marius Ghiurea4Ioana Chiulan5Elena Radu6Celina Maria Damian7Denis Mihaela Panaitescu8Polymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaPolymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Institute for Chemical Pharmaceutical Research and Development ICCF, 112 Calea Vitan, 031299 Bucharest, RomaniaCantacuzino National Institute of R&D for Microbiology and Immunology, 103 Splaiul Independentei, 050096 Bucharest, RomaniaPolymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaPolymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaPolymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaAdvanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 1-7 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061 Bucharest, RomaniaPolymer Department, National Institute for R&D in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, RomaniaThe inherent brittleness of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) prevents its use as a substitute of petroleum-based polymers. Low molecular weight plasticizers, such as tributyl 2-acetyl citrate (TAC), cannot properly solve this issue. Herein, PHB films were obtained using a biosynthesized poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) and a commercially available TAC as toughening agents. The use of TAC strongly decreased the PHB thermal stability up to 200 °C due to the loss of low boiling point plasticizer, while minor weight loss was noticed at this temperature for the PHB-PHO blend. Both agents shifted the glass transition temperature of PHB to a lower temperature, the effect being more pronounced for TAC. The elongation at break of PHB increased by 700% after PHO addition and by only 185% in the case of TAC; this demonstrates an important toughening effect of the polymeric modifier. Migration of TAC to the upper surface of the films and no sign of migration in the case of PHO were highlighted by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results. In vitro biocompatibility tests showed that all the PHB films are non-toxic towards L929 cells and have no proinflammatory immune response. The use of PHO as a toughening agent in PHB represents an attractive solution to its brittleness in the case of packaging and biomedical applications while conserving its biodegradability and biocompatibility.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/11/2446poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate)polyhydroxybutyratebio-based modifierstougheningbiocompatibilitythermal properties
spellingShingle Adriana Nicoleta Frone
Cristian Andi Nicolae
Mihaela Carmen Eremia
Vlad Tofan
Marius Ghiurea
Ioana Chiulan
Elena Radu
Celina Maria Damian
Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
Polymers
poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate)
polyhydroxybutyrate
bio-based modifiers
toughening
biocompatibility
thermal properties
title Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
title_full Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
title_fullStr Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
title_full_unstemmed Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
title_short Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films
title_sort low molecular weight and polymeric modifiers as toughening agents in poly 3 hydroxybutyrate films
topic poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate)
polyhydroxybutyrate
bio-based modifiers
toughening
biocompatibility
thermal properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/11/2446
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