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Bioplastics

Bioplastics

Bioplastics derived from microbial processes present a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics. Among these, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), particularly polyhydroxybutyrates (PHBs), have emerged as prominent candidates due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. These polymers are synthesized by a variety of bacteria, such as Cupriavidus necator and Pseudomonas putida, which naturally accumulate PHAs as intracellular carbon and energy reserves, especially under...

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Bio-Based Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Blends for 3D Printing: Rheological, Mechanical, Biocompatibility, and

Michal Ďurfina¹, Nafiseh Babaei^1,2, Zuzana Vanovčanová¹

¹Institute of Natural and Synthetic Polymers, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia.

|June 13, 2025

Summary

This study introduces flexible, biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) blends for 3D printing, offering superior mechanical properties and rapid composting compared to polylactic acid (PLA). These sustainable PHA materials are non-toxic and ideal for various applications.

Keywords:

3D printing PHA bio-based flexible home compostable tissue engineering

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Science
Biotechnology

Background:

Traditional 3D printing materials like polylactic acid (PLA) have limitations in flexibility and biodegradability.
There is a growing demand for sustainable and high-performance polymers in biomedical, packaging, and environmental sectors.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop highly flexible and biodegradable polymer blends using bio-based polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers.
To optimize PHA blend compositions for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing.
To evaluate the processability, mechanical properties, printability, biodegradability, and cytotoxicity of the developed PHA blends.

Main Methods:

A Design of Experiment (DoE) approach was used to optimize blend compositions by varying crystallinity of three PHAs.
Twin-screw extrusion was employed for polymer processing.
Rheological analysis, tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 3D printing trials, home composting tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cytotoxicity tests were conducted.

Main Results:

PHA blends exhibited 30-50% lower viscosity than PLA, indicating improved processability.
Elongation at break exceeded 2000%, significantly outperforming PLA.
Blends with crystallinity below 18% showed minimal warping and high dimensional stability during 3D printing.
Significant degradation was observed within two months of home composting, confirmed by SEM.
Cytotoxicity tests confirmed the non-toxic nature of the PHA blends.

Conclusions:

Optimized PHA blends offer a sustainable, flexible, and biodegradable alternative to conventional 3D printing materials.
These PHA blends demonstrate excellent processability, mechanical performance, and rapid biodegradability.
The non-toxic nature of these blends supports their potential use in tissue engineering, biomedical devices, sustainable packaging, and environmental applications.