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Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

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The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
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The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
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Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
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Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
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The conversion of alkenes to macromolecules called polymers is a reaction of high commercial importance. The structure of the polymer is defined by a repeating unit, while the terminal groups are considered insignificant. The average degree of polymerization represents the number of repeating units in the polymer molecule and is denoted by the subscript n.
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Microbial Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Nonnatural Polyesters.

So Young Choi1, In Jin Cho1, Youngjoon Lee1

  • 1Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.

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Microorganisms create polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), versatile bioplastics for industrial and medical uses. Metabolic engineering advances sustainable production of PHAs and novel nonnatural polyesters.

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Polymer Science
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Microorganisms naturally synthesize diverse polymers, including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are intracellular polyesters used for energy and carbon storage.
  • PHAs have garnered significant interest due to their broad applicability in industrial and medical sectors.
  • Recent advancements include the microbial synthesis of nonnatural polyesters, expanding the range of sustainable plastic alternatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current state of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and nonnatural polyesters.
  • To cover mechanisms, metabolic pathways, and enzymes involved in microbial polyester biosynthesis.
  • To discuss metabolic engineering strategies, production enhancement, fermentation, downstream processing, and applications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on microbial polyester biosynthesis.
  • Analysis of metabolic pathways and enzymes for PHA and nonnatural polyester production.
  • Examination of metabolic engineering strategies and downstream processing techniques.

Main Results:

  • Detailed overview of PHA biosynthesis mechanisms for short-chain-length (SCL) and medium-chain-length (MCL) PHAs.
  • Exploration of nonnatural polyester synthesis, particularly 2-hydroxyacid-containing polyesters.
  • Discussion of strategies for enhancing microbial production capabilities and cost-effective downstream processing.

Conclusions:

  • Significant progress has been made in understanding and engineering microorganisms for efficient production of PHAs and novel polyesters.
  • Metabolic engineering offers a pathway to sustainable production of diverse bioplastics.
  • Further research into downstream processing and applications will drive the commercial viability of these microbial polyesters.