Evaluation of the Highly Ordered Structure, Ligature, and Enzymatic Degradation of Poly[()-3-hydroxybutyrate--4-hydroxybutyrate] Elastic Porous Fibers.

We prepared biocompatible elastic fibers with high porosity and high tensile strength from poly[()-3-hydroxybutyrate--4-hydroxybutyrate], which is a microbial polyester that can be produced from renewable carbon resources by isothermal crystallization. It was possible to control the pore size by adjusting the isothermal crystallization time. Most of the pores were approximately less than 10 μm in diameter, did not penetrate, and were distributed discontinuously throughout the fibers.

Marine biodegradation of poly[()-3-hydroxybutyrate--4-hydroxybutyrate] elastic fibers in seawater: dependence of decomposition rate on highly ordered structure.

Here, we report the marine degradability of polymers with highly ordered structures in natural environmental water using microbial degradation and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) tests. Three types of elastic fibers (non-porous as-spun, non-porous drawn, and porous drawn) with different highly ordered structures were prepared using poly[()-3-hydroxybutyrate--16 mol%-4-hydroxybutyrate] [P(3HB--16 mol%-4HB)], a well-known polyhydroxyalkanoate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that microorganisms attached to the fiber surface within several days of testing and degraded the fiber without causing physical disintegration.