Zarzyka Iwona, Krzykowska Beata, Hęclik Karol, Frącz Wiesław, Janowski Grzegorz, Bąk Łukasz, Klepka Tomasz, Bieniaś Jarosław, Ostapiuk Monika, Tor-Świątek Aneta, Droździel-Jurkiewicz Magda, Białkowska Anita, Tomczyk Adam, Falkowska Anna, Kuciej Michał
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszów University of Technology, Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatic, Rzeszów University of Technology, Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Aug 15;18(16):3842. doi: 10.3390/ma18163842.
Novel polyester-polyurethane polymeric materials were formulated by combining a natural aliphatic polyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), with a synthetic aliphatic polyurethane via melt blending. The resulting fully biodegradable compositions were functionally modified through the incorporation of urea, with the aim of enabling post-consumer utilization of the material residues as nitrogen-rich fertilizers. The fabrication process was systematically established and optimized, focusing on homogeneous blending and processability. Comprehensive mechanical characterization-including tensile strength, impact resistance, and Shore hardness-was performed. Among the tested formulations, composites containing 1 wt.% urea demonstrated superior mechanical performance and optimal processing behavior. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to investigate molecular-level interactions between polymeric phases and urea, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to assess the morphological characteristics of the resulting biocompositions. Comparative analyses of the physico-mechanical properties and biodegradability were conducted among the urea-modified compositions, binary P3HB-polyurethane blends, and neat P3HB. The observed improvements in mechanical integrity and functional biodegradability suggest that the developed urea-enriched compositions are promising candidates for the fabrication of eco-friendly seedling pots via injection molding technology.
通过将天然脂肪族聚酯聚（3-羟基丁酸酯）（P3HB）与合成脂肪族聚氨酯熔融共混，制备了新型聚酯-聚氨酯聚合物材料。通过加入尿素对所得的完全可生物降解的组合物进行功能改性，目的是使消费后的材料残余物能够作为富氮肥料利用。系统地建立并优化了制造工艺，重点是均匀共混和可加工性。进行了包括拉伸强度、抗冲击性和邵氏硬度在内的全面力学表征。在测试的配方中，含有1 wt.%尿素的复合材料表现出优异的力学性能和最佳的加工性能。采用傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱研究聚合物相和尿素之间的分子水平相互作用，同时利用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）评估所得生物组合物的形态特征。对尿素改性组合物、二元P3HB-聚氨酯共混物和纯P3HB的物理力学性能和生物降解性进行了比较分析。观察到的机械完整性和功能生物降解性的改善表明，所开发的富含尿素的组合物有望通过注塑技术制造环保育苗盆。
