Abstract
Biodegradable random copolymers were successfully synthesized by melt polycondensation of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and salicylic acid (SA). The obtained copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The effect of different SA contents on the properties of copolymers was investigated by universal testing machine, thermogravimetric analyser, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that the copolymers with 0.5% SA contents exhibited excellent elastic modulus (1413.0 MPa) and tensile strength (192.8 MPa), and similar thermal decomposition temperature (≈320°C) compared with pure PBS. By molecular docking simulations, it was proved that the degradability of copolymers was more effective than that of pure PBS with a binding energy of −5.77 kcal mol−1. PBS copolymers with a small amount of SA were not only biodegradable but could stimulate the growth of green vegetables. So biodegradable copolymers can be used over a wide range as they are environmentally friendly.
Highlights
Traditional polymeric materials have been widely used in many fields
A series of P(BS-co-salicylic acid (SA)) copolymers was synthesized through melt polycondensation and the feed molar ratio of SA in the copolymers was 0%, 0.5%, 5%, and 10%, respectively
A series of P(BS-co-SA) copolymers was synthesized successfully by a two-step melt polycondensation reaction, which has a superior ability to induce plant growth compared with Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)
Summary
Traditional polymeric materials have been widely used in many fields. Among them, packaging has a considerable market share. Millions of tons of plastic packaging are landfilled every year [1] and cause environmental pollution. This led to the research that focused royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos R. Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polymer with a relatively high melting temperature, good toughness and processing ability [8,9,10,11,12]. It is widely used in agriculture, industry and other fields. The accumulation of PBS residues in soil have neither harmful nor beneficial significant impacts on soil and plants [16,17]
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