Premium
Biodegradable Polymeric Materials—Not the Origin but the Chemical Structure Determines Biodegradability
Author(s) -
Witt Uwe,
Yamamoto Motonori,
Seeliger Ursula,
Müller RolfJoachim,
Warzelhan Volker
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-3773(19990517)38:10<1438::aid-anie1438>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - biodegradation , petrochemical , cellulose , macromolecule , chemical modification , inert , polymer science , starch , degradation (telecommunications) , materials science , biodegradable polymer , chemical structure , chemical engineering , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , polymer chemistry , engineering , telecommunications , biochemistry
It is completely plausible that unmodified materials of natural origin, such as the native macromolecules cellulose or starch, are biodegradable. If these materials are modified then degradation may, depending on the degree of modification, be more difficult or even impossible. In the same manner synthesized macromolecules, whether from renewable or petrochemical sources, could be inert or completey biodegradable, depending on their chemical structure.