Abstract
The maximum radial growth rate of spherulites of the novel stereocomplexationable blend of poly(L-2-hydroxybutyrate) (P(L-2HB)) and poly(D-2-hydroxybutyrate) (P(D-2HB)) was observed to be substantially higher than those of pure P(L-2HB) and P(D-2HB). The hydrolytic degradation rate of the P(L-2HB)/P(D-2HB) blend traced by gravimetry and gel permeation chromatography was significantly lower than those of pure P(L-2HB) and P(D-2HB); this indicated that the blend had higher resistance to hydrolytic degradation. Further, the thermal degradation rate of the P(L-2HB)/P(D-2HB) blend was retarded as compared with those of pure P(L-2HB) and P(D-2HB). The results obtained in the present study indicate that the intermolecular interaction between P(L-2HB) and P(D-2HB) chains having opposite configurations in the amorphous regions or in the molten state was higher than that between P(L-2HB) or P(D-2HB) chains with the same configurations. The information obtained in the present study should be very useful for designing and processing pure, biodegradable materials of P(L-2HB), P(D-2HB) and their blends for biomedical, pharmaceutical and environmental applications.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Mr Yuzuru Sakamoto of the Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology for his GPC data analysis. This research was supported by a Grand-in-aid for Scientific Research, Category ‘C’, No. 19500404, from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
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Tsuji, H., Okumura, A. Crystallization and hydrolytic/thermal degradation of a novel stereocomplexationable blend of poly(L-2-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(D-2-hydroxybutyrate). Polym J 43, 317–324 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2010.133
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2010.133
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