Self-assembling process of Oxalamide compounds and their nucleation efficiency in bio-degradable Poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s.
One of the key requirements in semi-crystalline polyesters, synthetic or bio-based, is the control on crystallization rate and crystallinity. One of the limiting factors in the commercialization of the bio-based polyesters, for example polyhydroxyalkanoates synthesized by bacteria for energy storage purposes, is the slow crystallization rate. In this study, we show that by tailoring the molecular structure of oxalamide compounds, it is possible to dissolve these compounds in molten poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), having a hydroxyvalerate co-monomer content of less than 2 mol%. Upon cooling the polymer melt, the homogeneously dispersed oxalamide compound crystallizes just below the melting temperature of the polymer. The phase-separated compound reduces the nucleation barrier of the polymer, thus enhancing the crystallization rate, nucleation density and crystallinity. The findings reported in this study provide a generic route for the molecular design of oxalamide-based compounds that can be used for enhancing nucleation efficiency of semi-crystalline bio-based polyesters.
School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.
Piming
P
Ma
Bio-Based Materials, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616 6200 MD, the Netherlands.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.
Yogesh S
YS
Deshmukh
Bio-Based Materials, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616 6200 MD, the Netherlands.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.
Carolus H R M
CH
Wilsens
Max Plank Institute for Polymer Science, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128, Mainz, Germany.|Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Michael
M
Ryan Hansen
Max Plank Institute for Polymer Science, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128, Mainz, Germany.
Robert
R
Graf
Bio-Based Materials, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616 6200 MD, the Netherlands.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.|Department of Materials, Loughborough University, England (UK).
Sanjay
S
Rastogi
D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D066241:Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D003460:Crystallization; D010072:Oxamic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D044367:Phase Transition; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000737:chemistry*; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013696:Temperature
D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates; D010072:Oxamic Acid