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Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
Published on: December 16, 2022
Tailoring compatibility and toughness of microbial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/bio-based polyester
Xiaolong Han1, Yi Han2, Yujuan Jin1
1School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, PR China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety of Plastics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, PR China.
Abstract:
Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a type of promising bio-based thermoplastic for food packaging but find restricted industrial applications due to its brittleness and poor processability that is caused by its large spherulite sizes. In this study, for the purpose of toughening PHBV, bio-based engineering polyester elastomers (BEPE) were synthesized and blended with PHBV to prepare fully bio-based blends. In order to improve the compatibility and toughness of the BEPE/PHBV blends, epoxy-terminated hyperbranched polyesters (EHBP) were synthesized, which could be homogeneously dispersed into the PHBV/BEPE blends and improve the compatibility between the two phases of the matrix. The results showed that compared to those of the PHBV/BEPE blends, the elongation at break, impact strength and tensile toughness of the PHBV/BEPE blends with 3.0phr EHBP were enhanced by 134.2 %, 76.8 %, and 123.5 %, respectively. The crystallization study demonstrated the crystallization rate of PHBV/BEPE blends decreased due to the addition of EHBP. The reasons lied in that the addition of EHBP leads to chemical cross-linking between PHBV and BEPE. Meanwhile, the formation of hydrogen bonding, co-crystallization and chain entanglement increased the adhesion between PHBV and BEΡE, which generated the superior toughness of the blends.
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