Microbial communities responsible for the degradation of poly(lactic acid)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) blend mulches in soil burial respirometric tests.

The microbial communities responsible for the degradation of poly(lactic acid)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PLA/PHB) blend foils were investigated in 1 year long laboratory soil burial experiments. Different PLA/PHB foils were tested: (a) PLA/PHB original transparent foil, (b) PLA/PHB carbon black filled foil and (c) PLA/PHB black foil previously exposed for 90 days to sun light. The microbiome diversity of these three types of foil was compared with that identified from soil/perlite sample at the beginning of experiment and that developed on a cellulose mat. Culture-dependent and culture-independent (DGGE-cloning) approaches together with PLA, PHB and PLA/PHB degradation plate assays were employed. The cultivation strategy combined with degradation tests permitted the isolation and evaluation of several PLA/PHB blend degrading microorganisms such as members of the genera Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Streptomyces, Rhodococcus, Saccharothrix, Arthrobacter, Aureobasidium, Mortierella, Absidia, Actinomucor, Bjerkandera, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Penicillium. The DGGE-cloning investigation increased the information about the microbial communities occurring during bioplastic degradation detecting several bacterial and fungal taxa and some of them (members of the orders Anaerolineales, Selenomonadales, Thelephorales and of the genera Pseudogymnoascus and Pseudeurotium) were revealed here for the first time. This survey showed the microbiome colonizing PLA/PHB blend foils and permitted the isolation of several microorganisms able to degrade the tested polymeric blends.

Synthesis and homopolymerization kinetics of 7-(methacroyloxy)-2-oxo-heptylphosphonic acid and its copolymerization with methyl methacrylate.

The synthesis of polymerizable 7-(methacroyloxy)-2-oxo-heptylphosphonic acid M1 destined for self-etch adhesives is described. M1 is characterized by 1H, 13C and 31P-NMR spectroscopy. Its homopolymerization and copolymerization reactivity in the solvents methanol and dioxane between 45 and 70°C in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) are examined. Polymerization proceeds readily through a thermal free radical initiation. The intensity exponents for the monomer and initiator are only slightly over 1 and approximately 0.5, respectively. This is in accordance with the results typically observed for an ideal free radical polymerization with termination mainly by disproportionation, which is typical for methyl methacrylate (MMA) homopolymerization. The kinetics of copolymerization with MMA are monitored by online 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Two copolymerization reactions for each pair of co-monomers are sufficient to evaluate the copolymerization parameters using the Jaacks method, the Fineman-Ross method and the nonlinear least-squares method. All three methods give similar results for particular monomer M1/MMA couple.

Spectral properties of probes containing benzothioxanthene chromophore linked with hindered amine in solution and in polymer matrices.

Absorption and emission spectroscopy as well as laser flash photolysis was employed in order to characterize the spectral properties of novel probes based on benzothioxantheneimide chromophore covalently linked with different types of sterically hindered amines. These were chosen as 2-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)-thioxantheno[2,1,9-dej]isoquinoline-1,3-dione (BTXINH), the equivalent stable nitroxyl radical, i.e. 2-(1-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)thioxantheno[2,1,9dej]isoquinoline 1,3-dione (BTXINO) and the alkoxy derivative 2-(1-(1'-phenylethoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)-thioxantheno[2,1,9-dej]isoquinoline-1,3-dione (BTXINOR). Spectral properties, in solutions and in various polymer matrices such as polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene, were compared with the compound 2-(1-dodecyl)-thioxantheno[2,1,9-dej]isoquinoline-1,3-dione (BTXID) taken in the present study as a reference compound. By means of the fluorescence decay and in the contrary to three other probes, BTXINO probe clearly showed a biexponential decay while the three other probes led to monoexponential decay. Two different singlet excited states with lifetimes of about 0.4 and 5 ns were proposed. They correspond to two dispositions of the nitroxyl radical chain above and along the fluorescent moiety of the molecule. Such behaviour depends on the surrounding media. Moreover, an efficient intramolecular quenching of the fluorescence emission was only observed with the short lived singlet excited state. The ratio BTXID/BTXINO was found equal to about 4 and 9 in solutions and polymer matrices respectively. Laser flash photolysis indicated that the novel probes as well as the model compound yielded transient absorption with maximum at 530 nm, corresponding to the triplet states. The intermolecular quenching of such species by molecular oxygen and by free N-oxyl, such as 1-oxy-2,2,6,6-teramethylpiperidine (TEMPO) and 1-oxy-2,2,6,6-teramethyl-4-hydroxypiperidine (TEMPOL), and the intramolecular quenching was not efficient.

Preparation and photophysics of 2-(1-pyrenyl)acrylic acid and its methyl and 2',2',6',6'-tetramethyl-4'-piperidyl esters.

Novel probes represented connection of pyrene as chromophore and sterically hindered amine stabilizers (HAS) in the form of esters of 2-(1-pyrenyl)acrylic acid were synthesized. HAS was in the form of parent amine (PAP) as well as stable nitroxyl radical form (PAP-NO.). Photophysics of these probes were compared with their precursor as 2-(1-pyrenyl)acrylic acid (PAA) and its methyl ester (PAM). The fluorescence spectrum of PAA strongly depends on the acidity of the solution. The spectrum in neutral methanol indicates that it originates from the anionic form -COO(-). Changes of acidity or basicity of methanol solution resulted in the changes of shape, position as well as the intensity of fluorescence band. This is due to the presence of protolytic equilibria, either in the ground state or in the singlet excited state, leading to the formation of molecular form -COOH and the cationic form -COOH(2) (+). The ester analogues did not show any changes in various pH conditions. Fluorescence of all probes depends on the polarity of solvents and the presence of oxygen. Intermolecular quenching was studied with external quenchers TEMPO and oxygen and the data were compared with the intramolecular quenching using 1'-oxo-2',2',6',6'-tetramethyl-4'-piperidinyl-2-(1-pyrenyl)acrylate (PAP-NO.).