Poly(butylene succinate-co-salicylic acid) copolymers and their effect on promoting plant growth

Lei Wang, Min Zhang, Tom Lawson, Aqsa Kanwal, Zongcheng Miao*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)
132 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Biodegradable random copolymers were successfully synthesized by melt polycondensation of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and salicylic acid (SA). The obtained copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The effect of different SA contents on the properties of copolymers was investigated by universal testing machine, thermogravimetric analyser, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that the copolymers with 0.5% SA contents exhibited excellent elastic modulus (1413.0 MPa) and tensile strength (192.8 MPa), and similar thermal decomposition temperature (≈320°C) compared with pure PBS. By molecular docking simulations, it was proved that the degradability of copolymers was more effective than that of pure PBS with a binding energy of -5.77 kcal mol-1. PBS copolymers with a small amount of SA were not only biodegradable but could stimulate the growth of green vegetables. So biodegradable copolymers can be used over a wide range as they are environmentally friendly.

Original languageEnglish
Article number190504
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalRoyal Society Open Science
Volume6
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jul 2019

Keywords

  • Copolymers
  • Degradability
  • Poly(butylene succinate)
  • Properties
  • Vegetable growth

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