Enzymatic biodegradation of chemosynthetic atactic P(3HB) enhanced by an amorphous non-biodegradable polymer: blend of atactic P(3HB) with PMMA

Communication: The phase structure and biodegradability were investigated for a blend of chemosynthetic atactic poly((R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate), a-P(3HB), and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA. The thermal analysis indicated that amorphous a-P(3HB)/PMMA blends with 20 wt.-% and 40 wt.-% PMMA shows sophisticated phase behavior and is partially miscible. The depolymerase of natural poly((R)-3-hydroxybutyrate) purified from Alcaligenes faecalis T1 did not degrade chemosynthesized a-P(3HB) at all in the pure state, but it degraded a-P(3HB) in some a-P(3HB)/PMMA blends. The results suggested that enzymatic degradation of a-P(3HB) can be enhanced by an amorphous non-biodegradable polymer.