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. 2018 Mar 1;10(3):251.
doi: 10.3390/polym10030251.

Molecular and Supramolecular Changes in Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) and Polybutylene Succinate Adipate (PBSA) Copolymer during Degradation in Various Environmental Conditions

Michał Puchalski  1 , Grzegorz Szparaga  2 , Tadeusz Biela  3 , Agnieszka Gutowska  4   5 , Sławomir Sztajnowski  6 , Izabella Krucińska  7
Affiliations

Molecular and Supramolecular Changes in Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) and Polybutylene Succinate Adipate (PBSA) Copolymer during Degradation in Various Environmental Conditions

Michał Puchalski et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of the various degradation conditions, on the molecular and supramolecular structure of polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene succinate adipate (PBSA) copolymer during degradation is described. The experiment was carried out by the use of injection molded samples and normalized conditions of biodegradation in soil, composting and artificial weathering. Materials were studied by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with multiangle laser light scattering (MALLS) detection and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Additionally, the physical and mechanical properties of the samples were determined. The performed experiments clearly show difference impacts of the selected degradation conditions on the macroscopic, supramolecular and molecular parameters of the studied aliphatic polyesters. The structural changes in PBS and PBSA explain the observed changes in the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained injection molded samples.

Keywords: PBS; PBSA; SEC-MALLS; WAXD; artificial weathering; composting; degradation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photographs of the investigated samples before and after degradation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The mass changes of the studied samples during degradation in selected environments: (a) biodegradation in compost, (b) biodegradation in soil and (c) artificial weathering.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The changes in the mechanical properties of the studied samples during degradation in selected environments: (a) biodegradation in soil and (b) artificial weathering.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in molar mass (Mn) (black symbols) and dispersity (gray symbols) of the studied samples during degradation in selected environments: (a) biodegradation in compost, (b) biodegradation in soil and (c) artificial weathering.
Figure 5
Figure 5
X-ray diffraction profiles of PBS and PBSA samples with deconvolution to the amorphous and crystalline compounds.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Changes in the crystallinity of the studied samples during degradation in selected environments: (a) biodegradation in compost, (b) biodegradation in soil and (c) artificial weathering.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Changes in the d-spacing of the studied samples during degradation in selected environments: (a) biodegradation in compost, (b) biodegradation in soil and (c) artificial weathering.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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