Title
Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) biopolymer
Date Issued
05 August 2019
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Publisher(s)
MDPI AG
Abstract
The non-isothermal crystallization of the biodegradable poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB) has been studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). In the first case, Avrami, Ozawa, Mo, Cazé, and Friedman methodologies were applied. The isoconversional approach developed by Vyazovkin allowed also the determination of a secondary nucleation parameter of 2.10 × 105 K2 and estimating a temperature close to 10 ◦C for the maximum crystal growth rate. Similar values (i.e., 2.22 × 105 K2 and 9 ◦C) were evaluated from non-isothermal Avrami parameters. All experimental data corresponded to a limited region where the polymer crystallized according to a single regime. Negative and ringed spherulites were always obtained from the non-isothermal crystallization of P4HB from the melt. The texture of spherulites was dependent on the crystallization temperature, and specifically, the interring spacing decreased with the decrease of the crystallization temperature (Tc). Synchrotron data indicated that the thickness of the constitutive lamellae varied with the cooling rate, being deduced as a lamellar insertion mechanism that became more relevant when the cooling rate increased. POM non-isothermal measurements were also consistent with a single crystallization regime and provided direct measurements of the crystallization growth rate (G). Analysis of the POM data gave a secondary nucleation constant and a bell-shaped G-Tc dependence that was in relative agreement with DSC analysis. All non-isothermal data were finally compared with information derived from previous isothermal analyses.
Volume
24
Issue
15
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Bioquímica, Biología molecular
Ciencia de los polímeros
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85070516249
PubMed ID
Source
Molecules
ISSN of the container
14203049
Sponsor(s)
Funding: The authors are in debt to support from MINECO and FEDER (RTI2018-101827-B-I00) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR373). I.K. also acknowledges the financial support from B. Braun Surgical S.A. Diffraction experiments were performed at the NCD-SWEET beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus