M5, pt. 6: Polymers - Biodegradable Polymers

1. Cellulose

2. Chitin

3. Starch

4. Polyhydroxyalkanoates

5. Polylactide

6. Poly -caprolactone

7. Collagen

8. Other polypeptides

8 Biodegradable Polymers

Cellulose polymers

a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units

Cellulose polymers

is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants, many forms of algae and the oomycetes

Cellulose polymers

is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth

Cellulose polymers

Is a natural condensation polymer

Cellulose polymers

Is formed by condensing glucose molecules and releasing molecules of water

Chitin

Structure is comparable to another polysaccharide - cellulose, forming crystalline nanofibrils or whiskers

Chitin

a long-chain polymer of Nacetylglucosamine, is a derivative of glucose

Starch

a polymer made by plants to store energy

Starch

plants need energy to grow and grow and grow

Starch

They use energy from sunlight to make a simple sugar, glucose.

Starch

Plants make this out of extra glucose, so it's right there when they need it

Polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs

can be either thermoplastic or elastomeric materials, with melting points ranging from 40 to 180 °C

Polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs

are polyesters produced in nature by numerous microorganisms, including through bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids

Polylactide

has been widely used in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields for several decades due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability in contact with mammalian bodies

Polylactide

is a biodegradable polymer that has a variety of applications

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)

Polylactide meaning and abbreviation

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

is a biodegradable polyester with a low melting point of around 60 °C and a glass transition temperature of about −60 °C

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

most common use of polycaprolactone is in the manufacture of special polyurethanes

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

impart good resistance to water, oil, solvent and chlorine to the polyurethane produced

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

is often used as an additive for resins to improve their processing characteristics and their end use properties (e.g., impact resistance)

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

can be mixed with starch to lower its cost and increase biodegradability

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

used for splinting, modeling, and as a feedstock for prototyping systems such as fused filament fabrication 3D printers

Poly (ε-caprolactone)

can be added as a polymeric plasticizer to polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Collagen polymers

Individual polypeptide chains of this each contain approx. 1000 amino acid residues

Collagen polymers

Are composed of 3 polypeptide alpha chains coiled around each other to form the tripe helix configuration

collagen fibril

This polymer of tropocollagen is known as a

Collagen polymers

is the main structural protein in the extracellular space

Polypeptide polymers

A sequence of a chain of amino acids

Polypeptide polymers

Proteins are linear polymers formed by linking the α-carboxyl group of one amino acid to the α-amino group of another amino acid with a peptide bond (also called an amide bond)

Amino acids 

are linked by peptide bonds to form polypeptide chains