title: The oil-absorbing property of polyhydroxyalkanoate films and its practical application: a refreshing new outlook for an old degrading material.
abstract: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have attracted the attention of academia and industry because of their plastic-like properties and biodegradability. However, practical applications as a commodity material have not materialized because of their high production cost and unsatisfactory mechanical properties. PHAs are also believed to have high-value applications as an absorbable biomaterial for tissue engineering and drug-delivery devices because of their biocompatibility. However, research in these areas is still in its very early stages. The main problem faced by proponents of PHAs is the lack of a niche area where PHAs will be the most desired material in terms of its function during use rather than because of its eco-friendly virtues after use. Here, we report on the oil-absorbing property of PHA films and its potential applications. By comparing with some of the existing commercial products, the potential application of PHAs as cosmetic oil-blotting films is revealed for the first time. Besides having the ability to rapidly absorb and retain oil, PHA films also have a natural oil-indicator property, showing obvious changes in opacity following oil absorption. Surface analysis revealed that the surface structures such as porosity and smoothness exert great influence on the rapid oil-absorption properties of the PHA films. These newly discovered properties could be exploited to create a niche area for the practical applications of PHAs.
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia. ksudesh@usm.my
authors: Kumar
authors: K
authors: Sudesh
authors: Ching-Yee
authors: CY
authors: Loo
authors: Lay-Koon
authors: LK
authors: Goh
authors: Tadahisa
authors: T
authors: Iwata
authors: Mizuo
authors: M
authors: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003358:Cosmetics; D009821:Oils; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates