Fluorescence tracing the degradation process of biodegradable PBAT: Visualization and high sensitivity

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Plastic pollution is a significant global challenge, with biodegradable plastics offering a potential solution.
• Current methods for assessing biodegradable plastic degradation, especially for polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), lack rapid and accurate detection of structural changes.
• PBAT contains benzene rings, raising concerns about its degradation products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and visual method for evaluating the degradation of PBAT.
• To leverage the intrinsic fluorescence of PBAT for monitoring its breakdown process.
• To establish a correlation between fluorescence changes and the concentration of degradation products.

Main Methods:

• Investigated the intrinsic fluorescence of PBAT under UV irradiation.
• Developed a fluorescence-based approach to track PBAT degradation in an alkali solution.
• Analyzed changes in fluorescence wavelength and intensity during degradation.
• Quantified the correlation between fluorescence intensity and benzene ring-containing degradation products.

Main Results:

• PBAT exhibits blue-green fluorescence under UV light.
• A blue shift in fluorescence wavelength was observed as PBAT film thickness and molecular weight decreased.
• Fluorescence intensity of the degradation solution increased with degradation progress.
• Fluorescence intensity showed an exponential correlation (R² up to 0.999) with the concentration of benzene ring-containing degradation products.

Conclusions:

• Fluorescence monitoring provides a promising strategy for visualizing and sensitively tracking PBAT degradation.
• This method overcomes limitations of existing techniques for evaluating biodegradable plastic breakdown.
• The findings offer a new tool for assessing the environmental fate of PBAT.