An Introduction of Biodegradable Polymers, Modes of Biodegradation and Designing of Biodegradable Polymers

摘要

Biodegradable polymers are a newly emerging field. Biodegradable polymers are useful for various applications in medical, agriculture, drug release and packaging fields. Biodegradable polymers have received much more attention in the last decades due their potential applications in the fields related to environmental protection and the maintenance of physical health. At present only few groups of the mentioned biopolymers are of market importance. The main reason is their price level, which is not yet competitive. The future of each biopolymer is dependent not only on its competitiveness but also on the society ability to pay for it. The future outlook for development in the field of biopolymers materials is promising.To improve the properties of biodegradable polymers, a lot of methods have been developed, such as random and block copolymerization or grafting. These methods improve both the biodegradation rate and the mechanical properties of the final products. Physical blending is another route to prepare biodegradable materials with different morphologies and physical characteristics. To provide added value to biodegradable polymers, some advanced technologies have been applied.