Potential Of Biodegradable Polymers Research Articles

The potential of biodegradable polymers: Chitosan, polyethylene glycol, and polycaprolactone as materials for progesterone intravaginal devices

<p><span lang="EN-US">For several decades, a protocol based on the use of progestagens has been used to manage livestock reproduction with minimal alterations. Recently, researchers have gained insight into the short-term use of progestagen protocols lasting 5-7 days, which has been found to reduce the incidence of vaginitis and obviate the use of antibiotics. Additionally, this approach enables the reutilization of silicone-based devices such as CIDRs after a thorough biosecurity assessment. However, these devices have certain limitations. At the end of the treatment, they must be disposed of and cannot be reused, necessitating a re-evaluation of their use for technical and societal reasons, including animal health and welfare, food safety, and environmental impact.</span><span lang="EN-US">A chitosan-PEG intravaginal implant formulation released progesterone for a period of four days, corresponding to the degradation time of the implant in the vagina. The use of a simple melting and molding process for the combination of PCL-PEG-chitosan implants has been observed to result in degradation of both simulated vaginal fluid and vaginal tissue of cows. The development of intravaginal devices made from biodegradable polymers is considered a potential solution because these materials would degrade within the body, eliminating the need for removal and leaving no residue. These devices are safe for animals and the environment.</span></p>

Application of Degradable Polymers for the Treatment of Wounds and Tumors

Degradable polymers are of great significance in bacteriostatic and cancer treatment. Biodegradable biomaterials have the characteristics of high safety, good environmental protection and good therapeutic effect. This article mainly introduces the application of the polymerization strategy in the biomedical field. In the direction of bacteriostasis, degradable polymers provide a series of new and effective ideas for researchers. For example, the biodegradable antimicrobial gene vector based on tobramycin, a kind of antibiotic, coupled with polyaspartic acid (TPT) effectively realized the antimicrobial treatment and restoration of skin damage. A multifunctional injectable hydrogel dressing that integrates electrical conductivity, good antioxidant capacity and antibacterial properties has been designed to treat skin injuries. Supramolecular polymers with strong antibacterial effect and controllable degradability were used to prepare biodegradable antibiotics to enhance the antibacterial effect of antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. In addition, degradable polymers also show great potential in the treatment of cancer. For example, scientists have discovered that drug release can be triggered from tumor-targeted polymer nanoparticles through the process of polymer degradation mediated by reactive oxygen species. The development of a rapidly degraded chitosan based multilayer controlled release membrane provides a theoretical basis for the preparation of customized multilayer membranes for drug administration. The adoption of the concept of the macromolecular engineering, which mixes drugs with polymers, opens up a new way to design polymer biodegradable drug delivery systems. Thus, the potential of biodegradable polymers in various interdisciplinary fields has been highly valued, and they will be more widely used in production and life in the future.

Materials Based on Chitosan and Polylactide: From Biodegradable Plastics to Tissue Engineering Constructions

The transition to green chemistry and biodegradable polymers is a logical stage in the development of modern chemical science and technology. In the framework of this review, the advantages, disadvantages, and potential of biodegradable polymers of synthetic and natural origin are compared using the example of polylactide and chitosan as traditional representatives of these classes of polymers, and the possibilities of their combination via obtaining composite materials or copolymers are assessed. The mechanochemical approach to the synthesis of graft copolymers of chitosan with oligolactides/polylactides is considered in more detail.

Preparation and Evaluation of Biodegradation Performance of Potato Starch Mixed LDPE Polymer Composites

The potential of biodegradable polymers has long been appreciated. In this work, an attempt has been made to synthesize biodegradable polymer composite from potato starch and low density polyethylene (LDPE) with different ratios of starch (0%-15% w/w) by using an extruder. The structure and morphology of film surfaces was studied using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. The physical (density, water absorption), mechanical (tensile, flexural) and thermal (TGA and DTA) analyses of starch/LDPE bio-composites were evaluated through standard methods and instruments. Biodegradation tendency was investigated utilizing soil burial and Rockwell micro-hardness test.The results revealed that the density and water absorption of polymer blends increased with increasing the starch content in starch/LDPE composites. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with starch content whereas the elastic modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus rose. The biodegradability of composites enhanced by increasing the starch content and the result was backed by weight loss during burial of the samples in soil for 90 days. Microhardness test also supported the biodegradation probability as hardness found to reduce extensively after soil burial. However, further study to decide the optimum starch loading alongwith some modifications to starch and LDPE is highly suggested to have a biodegradable LDPE polymer composite in a realistic time frame.

Purification of D-(-)-Lactic Acid from Fermentation Broth Using Nanofiltration, Esterification, Distillation, and Hydrolysis Technique

Until recently, the potential of biodegradable polymers obtained from agro-resources have long been recognized. In particular, poly-D-lactic acid (PDLA) is a very promising biodegradable polymer because its melting point is 40 °C higher than the melting point of standard PLA, making it as resistant to heat as the petroleum-derived polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). In this work, a fermentation broth containing D-(-)-lactic acid was pretreated with microfiltration and nanofiltration in order to remove cells and color prior to start the esterification reaction with ethanol. A highly efficient fractionating column designed in our laboratory was employed to distill 95 wt% ethanol from the esterification reaction. A vapor permeation technique using NaA zeolite membrane was employed to remove water allowing the dehydrated ethanol to be recycled. This integrated esterification-dehydration process results in a complete conversion of D-(-)-lactic acid to ethyl-D-lactate. For distillation, experimental result showed that more than 98% pure ethyl lactate was obtained by controlling the temperature of ethyl lactate vapor at the exit point of the fractionating column. After hydrolysis, the purity of D-(-)-lactic acid product was obtained at 98.89% with more than 87.8% optical purity.

Physical and thermal mechanical properties of corn starch/LDPE composites

AbstractThe potential of biodegradable polymers has long been recognized. In this work, composites of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and low density polyethylene/thermoplastic starch (LDPE/TPS) at different ratios of TPS (40%‐60% w/w) were prepared in internal mixer. Polyethylene‐grafted maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MA) at 3 wt % was used as coupling agent. Chemical reactions between functional groups of composite components were studied and confirmed by Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The morphology of film surfaces was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The physical, mechanical, and dynamic‐mechanical thermal analyses of LDPE/TPS composites were evaluated. The FTIR results showed transmission peak at 1642 cm−1, which is the result of chemical reaction between the hydroxyl groups of starch and anhydride groups of coupling agent. This verifies the presence of the carboxylate group due to the formation of ester bonding. The results showed that the water absorption and density of composite films increased by increasing the starch content in LDPE/TPS composites. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreased by increasing the starch level in the composites, but the young's modulus increased. The morphological studies showed that the biodegradability of composites increased by increasing the starch content and the results was confirmed by weight loss in buring the samples in wet soil during time intervals. The dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer thermograms showed that there are two relaxation temperature peaks. The amplitude of peaks increased by increasing the starch content from 40 to 60% probably due to increasing amorphous phase of composite. The starch was uniformly distributed throughout the LDPE polymer matrix and compatible and biodegradable composites were formed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Biocomposites based on plasticized starch

AbstractThe potential of biodegradable polymers, and more particularly that of polymers obtained from agro resources, such as polysaccharides like starch, has long been recognized. This paper examines the effects of sustainable materials based on starch on the macro or nanostructure and subsequent processing, thermomechanical properties and performance properties of plasticized starch polymers. This examination includes a detailed review of the complexity of starch polymers, recent advances in novel starch modifications and compounds, and a detailed examination of the effects of plasticized starch macro‐biocomposites and nano‐biocomposites. Specific structures and subsequent properties are controlled by many specific factors, such as filler shape, size and surface chemistry, processing conditions and environmental aging. In the case of nano‐biocomposites, it is evident that nanomaterials polymer matrix interfacial interactions are extremely important to the final nanostructures and performance of these materials. © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd