The interaction mechanism between microorganisms and substrate in the biodegradation of polycaprolactone

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The present work concerns the interplay of the degradation mechanism and the nature of the interaction between microorganisms and substrate. The biodegradation of polycaprolactone films by a pure strain of microorganisms isolated from an industrial composting unit for household refuse was studied in minimal medium with the polymer as sole carbon source. In conditions where the polymer surface is colonized and a biofilm is formed (under a low stirring rate), polymer weight loss is limited, whereas total degradation is observed when stirring conditions prevent biofilm formation. In the first case, holes are observed in the degraded film and a polysaccharide responsible for microorganism adhesion was identified by FTIR. SEM observation of the polymer surface as a function of the degradation time suggests that the crystalline and amorphous phase are degraded at about the same rate in the first case, whereas the amorphous phase is preferentially degraded in the latter.

Polycaprolactone/modified bagasse whisker nanocomposites with improved moisture‐barrier and biodegradability properties

“…It has been reported that esterase and other kinds of lipase can degrade poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) by hydrolysis 17–19. Microbial attack occurs preferentially in the amorphous phase; this leads to chain rearrangement and an increased crystallinity index 20. PCL biodegradation in soil has been reported to be a slow process; it started after 40 days and took more than 200 days to complete 21, 22…”

“…[17][18][19] Microbial attack occurs preferentially in the amorphous phase; this leads to chain rear-rangement and an increased crystallinity index. 20 PCL biodegradation in soil has been reported to be a slow process; it started after 40 days and took more than 200 days to complete. 21,22 On the other hand, a previous study showed that a regenerated cellulose film decomposed completely in soil into CO 2 and water after 60 days as a result of the random breakdown of bonds of cellulose macromolecules.…”

The physical characterization of a thermoplastic polymer for endodontic obturation

“…They hypothesized that biodegradation of this material may also occur because of enzymatic hydrolysis via a surface degradation mechanism, similar to that, which has been previously reported for polycaprolactone. [12][13][14] The PCL material has a significantly slower biodegradation rate than other biodegradable polymers (BDP) biomaterials, making it suitable for the design of long-term implantable systems such as Capronor, a US FDA approved contraceptive device. 15 The toxicology of PCL has been studied as part of the evaluation of Capronor, it is currently regarded as non-toxic and tissue compatible.…”

Fluid filtration and dye leakage testing of Resilon/Epiphany and guttapercha/Pulp Canal Sealer root canal fillings

“…It should also be pointed out that, although the present study focused on Resilon/Epiphany sealing abilities at time 0, several studies have already demonstrated the weakening of Resilon/epiphany seal even after relatively short storage periods due to degradation of adhesive interface [8,30,43,54] and enzymatic degradation of polycaprolactone [10,49,[55][56][57].…”