Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s PHAs form an enlarged family of biopolyesters, which are biocompatible, biodegradable and non toxic. PHAs biodegradation corresponds to a hydrolysis involving endo-or exo-enzymatic systems in the breaking cleavage of esters bonds. This type of degradation is needed for environmental applications. In the case of therapeutic and biomedical uses, a simple hydrolysis is required. All polyesters are susceptible to degrade by hydrolysis, but under normal conditions PHAs are water stable.The hydrolytic degradation rate of these polyesters is very dependent on the chemical structure and material crystallinity. Controlled simple hydrolysis is not evident and in many cases, it is necessary to use functionalized PHAs, block copolymers, graft copolymers or blends with hydrophilic or hydrolyzable polymers. Different architectures of functionalized polyesters based on natural PHAs were prepared and their properties of water stability or hydrolysis are presented. Carboxylic pendant groups constitute, at present time, the most promising functions, necessary to increase polymer hydrolysis degradation. According to the required system, the percentage of carboxyl groups has to be adjusted by varying the percentage of double bonds in the polymer precursor in the perspective of biomedical or environmental applications.

Chemical modifications of bacterial polyesters: From stability to controlled degradation of resulting polymers

248th National Meeting (2014)

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