Tamura Shunta, Mokudai Haruki, Masaki Takashi, Taguchi Hironori, Kikuchi Takako, Yamada Norifumi L, Seto Hideki, Matsuno Hisao, Tanaka Keiji
Department of Automotive Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
New Business Development Department, KUREHA Corporation, Fukushima, 974-8686, Japan.
Biomacromolecules. 2025 Feb 10;26(2):992-1001. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01304. Epub 2025 Jan 12.
Recently, polyamides have been widely used in various fields due to their excellent durability, thermal stability, and other advantageous properties. However, polyamide products that end up in oceans have become a source of microplastics. For this reason, the development of highly degradable polyamides is greatly desired. We here focused on polyamide 4 (PA4), which has a high density of amide groups in its main chain. As model samples, two types of PA4 thin film, thermally annealed at different temperatures, were prepared, and their aggregation states and biodegradation behavior were examined. The results revealed that the swelling properties of the PA4 thin films in underwater environments play a crucial role in their degradation. It was also found that the crystal polymorph of the PA4 thin films significantly influences their biodegradation behavior. This fundamental understanding of PA4 degradation behavior will contribute to the further development of PA4-based devices.
近年来，聚酰胺因其优异的耐久性、热稳定性和其他有利性能而在各个领域得到广泛应用。然而，最终进入海洋的聚酰胺产品已成为微塑料的一个来源。因此，人们迫切希望开发出高降解性的聚酰胺。我们在此关注聚酰胺4（PA4），其主链中酰胺基团密度较高。作为模型样品，制备了两种在不同温度下进行热退火的PA4薄膜，并研究了它们的聚集状态和生物降解行为。结果表明，PA4薄膜在水下环境中的溶胀性能对其降解起着关键作用。还发现PA4薄膜的晶体多晶型对其生物降解行为有显著影响。对PA4降解行为的这一基本认识将有助于基于PA4的器件的进一步开发。
