Biodegradable polymers cellulose

Numerous other properties, such as ion-exchange, mildew resistance, dimensional stability, coefficient of friction and electrical properties can also be imparted to cellulose by grafting. The presence of cellulose has also been shown to impart biodegradability to the cellulose-synthetic polymer grafted materials. 

In addition to synthetic biodegradable polymers discussed so far, naturally occurring biopolymers have also been used for fabricating implantable dmg delivery systems. Examples of natural biopolymers are proteins (e.g. albumin, casein, collagen, and gelatin) and polysaccharides (e.g. cellulose derivatives, chitin derivatives, dextran, hyaluronic acids, inulin, and starch). 

The most fundamental classification of polymers is whether they are naturally occurring or synthetic. Common natural polymers (often referred to as biopolymers) include macromolecules such as polysaccharides e.g., starches, sugars, cellulose, gums, etc.), proteins e.g., enzymes), fibers e.g., wool, silk, cotton), polyisoprenes e.g., natural rubber), and nucleic acids e.g., RNA, DNA). The synthesis of biodegradable polymers from natural biopolymer sources is an area of increasing interest, due to dwindling world petroleum supplies and disposal concerns. 

This chapter deals with polymers synthesized from oilseed sources. However, to provide the reader with an appreciation of the area of renewable, biodegradable polymers and the place within this area that polymers from oil seeds occupy in terms of functionality, price, and acceptability, some other polymers from major renewable sources are also discussed. The most well-known and widely used renewable biodegradable polymers are those from polysaccharides. The principal polysaccharides of interest to polymer chemists are starches and cellulose, both of which are polymers of glucose. In addition to these, fibers, polylactic acid (PLA), and triacylglycerols of oils are of particular interest for the development of biodegradable industrial polymers. 

There are many kinds of natural biodegradable polymers. They are classified into three types according to their chemical structures, i.e., polysaccharides, polypeptides/proteins and polynucleotides/nucleic acids. Among them, polysaccharides, such as cellulose, chitin/chitosan, hyaluronic acid and starch, and proteins, such as silk, wool, poly( y-glutamic acid), and poly(e-lysin), are well known and particularly important industrial polymeric materials. 

Some cellulose derivatives and P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-3HV) have been found to show good compatibility [114-116]. These are chemically modified natural and natural biodegradable polymer blend systems. Blends obtained by melts compounding P(3HB) with cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB, degrees of butyrate and acetate substitution are 2.50 and 0.18, respectively) have been found to be miscible over the whole composition range by DSC and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy [116]. 

There are several kinds of natural biodegradable polymers in addition to bacterial PHAs, such as proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides. Among them, particulary important polymers such as industrial materials are polysaccharides, such as starch, cellulose, chitin and chitosan. The solid-state structure and properties of starch and amylose [127], cellulose [128] and chitin... 

U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,652 [127] discloses a biodegradable composite material comprising bacterial cellulose in a powdery state and a polymeric material such as poly-hydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxyvalerate, polycaprolactone, polybutylenesuccinate, polyethylenesuccinate, polylactic acid, polyvinylalcohol, cellulose acetate, starch, and other biodegradable polymers. 

The present volume comprises five review articles written especially for this series by leading authorities in the field. The first three adresses major structural characteristics of biodegradable polymers. Robert Lenz provides athorough review of biodegradable polymers. Jorge Heller offers a critical analysis of the structure, properties and medical applications of polyorthoesters, whereas Abraham Domb and his associates offer the same critical analysis of polyanhydrides. Eric Doelker discusses the structure and properties of cellulose derivatives. Finally Michael Sefton presents the use of polyacrylates for the microencapsulation of live animal cells. 

The natural biodegradable polymers that are most frequently used are polysaccharides, of which starch and cellulose derivatives are preferred. Starch is an inexpensive product available, e.g., from corn. It is biodegradable in a variety of environments. 

Cellulose blends with synthetic polymers also constitute an example of biodegradable polymer blends. Miscibility of cellulose with polyvinylpyrrolidone [Masson and Manley, 1991a], poly(4-vinyl pyridine) [Mason and Manley, 1991b], PAN [Nishio et al, 1987], PVAL [Nishio and Manley, 1988], and polyethyleneoxide (PEG) [Nishio et al., 1989] have been reported. Starch blends with commodity polymers have been commercialized as a low cost method to promote partial environmental degradability. While a defi-... 

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