We report the syntheses of novel marine biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate) (PES)- and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)-based copolymers containing different dicarboxylic acid (DCA) units with various carbon numbers and different feed ratios. Specifically, the copolymers with longer-chain DCA units, even at low contents, exhibited marine biodegradability. The thermomechanical properties also varied with the DCA contents. These results indicated that the thermomechanical properties and the marine biodegradability of the PES- and PBS-based copolymers were regulated by controlling their structures and DCA contents.
- Sumito Kumagai
- Senri Hayashi
- Yasumasa Takenaka