| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5204863 | Polymer Degradation and Stability | 2006 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Enzymatic and microbial degradability of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and PET copolyesters containing 30Â mol% of either 5-nitroisophthalic units (PET70NI30) or nitroterephthalic units (PET70NT30) was investigated in laboratory cultures. Two commercial fungal lipases, two bacteria from environmental isolates, and two collection filamentous fungi were tested. The topography of the polymer surface exposed to degradation was characterized by interferometry-confocal microscopy techniques. Biodegradation was estimated by optical and electron microscopy observation, and gel permeation chromatography. Evidence of biodegradation including roughness enhancement, swelling and decrease of the weight-average molecular weight, was only obtained for the case of PET70NT30 cultured with Aspergillus niger. Differences in surface textures were found to be crucial to determine the positive response of this copolyester to biodegradation.
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Authors
M. Soledad Marqués-Calvo, Marta Cerdà -Cuéllar, Darwin P.R. Kint, Jordi J. Bou, Sebastián Muñoz-Guerra,