Toughening Brittle Bio‐P3HB with Synthetic P3HB of Engineered Stereomicrostructures
[1]
- Department of Chemistry Colorado State University Fort Collins CO 80523–1872 USA
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián Spain
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián Spain, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science Plaza Euskadi 5 48009 Bilbao Spain
Abstract Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), a biologically produced, biodegradable natural polyester, exhibits excellent thermal and barrier properties but suffers from mechanical brittleness, largely limiting its applications. Here we report a mono‐material product design strategy to toughen stereoperfect, brittle bio or synthetic P3HB by blending it with stereomicrostructurally engineered P3HB. Through tacticity ([ mm ] from 0 to 100 %) and molecular weight ( M n to 788 kDa) tuning, high‐performance synthetic P3HB materials with tensile strength to ≈30 MPa, fracture strain to ≈800 %, and toughness to 126 MJ m −3 (>110× tougher than bio‐P3HB) have been produced. Physical blending of the brittle P3HB with such P3HB in 10 to 90 wt % dramatically enhances its ductility from ≈5 % to 95–450 % and optical clarity from 19 % to 85 % visible light transmittance while maintaining desirably high elastic modulus (>1 GPa), tensile strength (>35 MPa), and melting temperature (160–170 °C). This P3HB‐toughening‐P3HB methodology departs from the traditional approach of incorporating chemically distinct components to toughen P3HB, which hinders chemical or mechanical recycling, highlighting the potential of the mono‐material product design solely based on biodegradable P3HB to deliver P3HB materials with diverse performance properties.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 2204912
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 2222539
- Journal Information:
- Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), Journal Name: Angewandte Chemie (International Edition) Vol. 62 Journal Issue: 49; ISSN 1433-7851
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
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