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Biodegradable [(A) x B] n Alternating Copolyester: Achieving PET-like Performance with Enhanced Marine Degradation
Summary
Scientists engineered a new biodegradable copolyester with mechanical properties matching PET plastic — including high strength and flexibility — while achieving 60% mass loss in 90 days in marine water environments. This breakthrough is significant because it offers a potential drop-in replacement for PET that degrades in seawater rather than fragmenting into persistent microplastics.
The development of high-performance biodegradable polymers that simultaneously achieve petrochemical-plastic-like mechanical properties and controlled environmental degradability remains an unsolved challenge in sustainable materials science. We present an [(A)xB]n alternating copolyester platform engineered through a precision cascade polycondensation-ring-opening polymerization (PROP) strategy, featuring (i) ultrashort succinic acid (SA) soft segments (B), (ii) architecturally tuned hard-segment ((A)x) lengths, and (iii) spherulite-size-modulated semicrystalline morphology. This triple-design strategy yields unprecedented property combinations: 61 MPa yield strength and 428% elongation at break, matching PET’s elastic-plastic behavior (<300% strain) while exhibiting superior marine degradability (60% mass loss in 90 days across lake/seawater). The material further enables closed-loop chemical recycling to high-purity glycolic acid, establishing a new paradigm for circular polymer design that addresses both microplastic generation and end-of-life management challenges.
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