The physicochemical properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates with different chemical structures

A set of polyhydroxyalkanoates are synthesized, and a comparative study of their physicochemical properties is performed. The molecular masses and polydispersities of polyhydroxyalkanoates are found to be independent of their chemical structures. It is shown that the temperature characteristics and degrees of crystallinity of polyhydroxyalkanoates are affected by the chemical compositions of the monomers and their quantitative contents in the polymers. The incorporation of 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, and 3-hydroxyhexanoate units into the chain of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) decreases its melting point and thermal degradation temperature relative to these parameters of a homogeneous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) sample (175 ± 5°C and 275 ± 5°C, respectively). The higher the content of the second monomer units in the poly(3-hydroxybutirate) chain, the greater the changes. The degrees of crystallinity of polyhydroxyalkanoate copolymers are generally lower than that of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (75 ± 5%). The effect on the ratio of the amorphous and crystalline phases of the copolymer samples becomes more pronounced in the series 3-hydroxy-valerate-3-hydroxyhexanoate-4-hydroxybutyrate. The prepared samples exhibit different properties ranging from rigid thermoplastic materials to engineering elastomers.