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Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Poly(3-mercapto-2-methylpropionate), a Novel α-Methylated Bio-Polythioester with Rubber-like Elasticity, and Its
Lucas Vinicius Santini Ceneviva1, Maierwufu Mierzati1, Yuki Miyahara1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.
Abstract:
A new polythioester (PTE), poly(3-mercapto-2-methylpropionate) [P(3M2MP)], and its copolymer with 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) were successfully biosynthesized from 3-mercapto-2-methylpropionic acid as a structurally-related precursor. This is the fourth PTE of biological origin and the first to be α-methylated. P(3M2MP) was biosynthesized using an engineered Escherichia coli LSBJ, which has a high molecular weight, amorphous structure, and elastomeric properties, reaching 2600% elongation at break. P(3HB-co-3M2MP) copolymers were synthesized by expressing 3HB-supplying enzymes. The copolymers were produced with high content in the cells and showed a high 3M2MP unit incorporation of up to 77.2 wt% and 54.8 mol%, respectively. As the 3M2MP fraction in the copolymer increased, the molecular weight decreased and the polymers became softer, more flexible, and less crystalline, with lower glass transition temperatures and higher elongations at break. The properties of this PTE were distinct from those of previously biosynthesized PTEs, indicating that the range of material properties can be further expanded by introducing α-methylated thioester monomers.
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