Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1887081 | Radiation Physics and Chemistry | 2007 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Radiation-induced graft polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) onto poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) film was carried out. At a degree of grafting higher than 5%, the grafted films (PHB-g-VAc) completely lost the enzymatic degradability that is characteristic of PHB due to the grafted VAc covering the surface of the PHB film. However, the biodegradability of the PHB-g-VAc films was recovered when the films were saponified in alkali solution under optimum conditions. Graft chains of the PHB-g-VAc film reacted selectively to become biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The biodegradability of the saponified PHB-g-VAc film increased rapidly with time.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Radiation
Authors
Yuki Wada, Noriaki Seko, Naotsugu Nagasawa, Masao Tamada, Ken-ichi Kasuya, Hiroshi Mitomo,