Novel Simple Approach for Production of Elastic Poly(propylene carbonate).

The simple approach of increasing the elastic properties of atactic poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with Mn = 71.4 kDa, ĐM = M/M = 1.86, and predominantly carbonate units (>99%) is suggested by selecting the appropriate hot pressing temperature for PPC between 110 and 140 °C.

Degradation of high concentrations of commercial polylactide packaging on food waste composting in pilot-scale test.

The increasing use of synthetic biodegradable polymers, such as aliphatic polyesters, has led to a greater need to understand their behavior in an end-of-life scenario as food packaging materials. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect on composting of high to 10 wt% concentration of commercial polylactide packaging in food waste during a 98-day pilot-scale test. Members of the genera Bacillus, Geobacillus, Caldibacillus, Compostibacillus, Novibacillus, Planifilum and Aeribacillus accounted for 77 % of the bacterial community at the initial stage.

Degradation of Structurally Modified Polylactide under the Controlled Composting of Food Waste.

The degradation of polylactide (PLA) films of different structures under conditions of controlled composting has been studied. We have demonstrated that PLA underwent degradation within one month in a substrate that simulated standard industrial composting. Regardless of the initial structure of the samples, the number-average molecular weight (M) decreased to 4 kDa while the degree of crystallinity increased to about 70% after 21 days of composting.

Composite Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Sodium Alginate-Hydroxyapatite Hydrogel Films for Bone Repair and Wound Dressings Applications.

Today, the synthesis of biocompatible and bioresorbable composite materials such as "polymer matrix-mineral constituent," which stimulate the natural growth of living tissues and the restoration of damaged parts of the body, is one of the challenging problems in regenerative medicine. In this study, composite films of bioresorbable polymers of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium alginate (SA) with hydroxyapatite (HA) were obtained. HA was introduced by two different methods.

Cold Crystallization of Glassy Polylactide during Solvent Crazing.

Uniaxial tension accompanied by the orientation and crystallization of polymer chains is one of the powerful methods for the improvement of mechanical properties. Crystallization of amorphous isotropic polylactide (PLA) at room temperature is studied for the first time during the drawing of films in the presence of liquid adsorption-active media (ethanol, water-ethanol mixtures, and n-heptane) by the solvent crazing mechanism. The crystalline structure arises only under simultaneous actions of a liquid medium and a tensile stress and does not depend on the nature of the environment.

Crystallization of silver chloride in crazed porous polymers.

During this study the formation and growth of silver chloride crystals in crazed porous polymeric matrixes of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polypropylene (PP) were under investigation. The rate of formation and dispersity and the way AgCl particles aggregate in porous polymers were shown to be dependent on the effective volume porosity, pore dimension, and physical state of the polymer. Methods of the determination of diffusion and distribution constants for low-molecular substances in porous polymers were suggested, and a mechanism of silver chloride crystallization in porous medium was proposed.