Biodegradable High‐Density Polyethylene‐like Material

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 62; no. 6; pp. e202213438 - n/a
• Main Authors: Eck, Marcel, Schwab, Simon Timm, Nelson, Taylor Frederick, Wurst, Katrin, Iberl, Steffen, Schleheck, David, Link, Christoph, Battagliarin, Glauco, Mecking, Stefan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2023; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Closed-loop recycling; Communication; Communications; Composting; Degradation; Depolymerization; Ethylene glycol; High density polyethylenes; Hydrolysis; Hydrophobicity; Long-Chain Polyesters; Melting point; Melting points; Methanolysis; Mineralization; Polyesters - chemistry; Polyethylene; Polyethylene-Like; Renewable Polymers; Sustainable Chemistry; Tensile properties; Biodegradation; Long-Chain Polyesters; Polyethylene-Like; Renewable Polymers; Sustainable Chemistry
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202213438

We report a novel polyester material generated from readily available biobased 1,18‐octadecanedicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol possesses a polyethylene‐like solid‐state structure and also tensile properties similar to high density polyethylene (HDPE). Despite its crystallinity, high melting point (Tm=96 °C) and hydrophobic nature, polyester‐2,18 is subject to rapid and complete hydrolytic degradation in in vitro assays with isolated naturally occurring enzymes. Under industrial composting conditions (ISO standard 14855‐1) the material is biodegraded with mineralization above 95 % within two months. Reference studies with polyester‐18,18 (Tm=99 °C) reveal a strong impact of the nature of the diol repeating unit on degradation rates, possibly related to the density of ester groups in the amorphous phase. Depolymerization by methanolysis indicates suitability for closed‐loop recycling. While it resembles high density polyethylene with regard to its mechanical properties and solid‐state structure and has a high melting point (Tm=96 °C), the novel polyester‐2,18 material at the same time fully hydrolyzes in in vitro enzymatic degradation studies and mineralizes under industrial composting conditions (ISO standard 14855‐1) within two months.