biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties is concerned with how macromolecules like polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates are built at the molecular level, and how their chemical structure determines mechanical behavior, degradation rate, and biological compatibility. Because these materials break down into benign byproducts rather than persisting in landfills or oceans, they sit at the center of efforts to replace conventional plastics and to design scaffolds that support tissue regeneration before safely disappearing inside the body. Much current work revolves around refining ring-opening polymerization to achieve precise control over molecular weight and crystallinity, as well as incorporating nanofillers to close the performance gap with petroleum-based plastics. Open challenges include tuning degradation timescales to match specific clinical or environmental needs and scaling microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates to a point where cost no longer limits adoption.

Works

131,484

Total citations

2,461,350

Keywords

Biodegradable PolymersPolylactic AcidPolyhydroxyalkanoatesSustainable PolymersTissue Engineering MaterialsRing-Opening Polymerization