New Biodegradable Copolymers Based on Betulin and Hydroxycarboxylic Acid Derivatives

Alexey Zinovyev; Alina Gorbunova; Anna Chernova; Sónia A C Carabineiro; Ekaterina Poletykina; Anastasia Bugaeva; Viktor Novikov; Ekaterina Kolobova; Alexey Pestryakov

doi:10.3390/ma17050981

New Biodegradable Copolymers Based on Betulin and Hydroxycarboxylic Acid Derivatives

Materials (Basel). 2024 Feb 20;17(5):981. doi: 10.3390/ma17050981.

Authors

Alexey Zinovyev¹, Alina Gorbunova¹, Anna Chernova², Sónia A C Carabineiro³, Ekaterina Poletykina¹, Anastasia Bugaeva², Viktor Novikov¹, Ekaterina Kolobova¹, Alexey Pestryakov¹

Affiliations

¹ Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Av. 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.
² School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Av. 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.
³ LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.

Abstract

In this study, we propose an approach to the synthesis of new biodegradable polymer materials based on renewable raw feedstock (betulin) and derivatives of hydroxycarboxylic acids using a catalyst/catalytic system (γ-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃/TBHP) that is safe for health and the environment. The resulting polymers are linear thermoplastic polymers that undergo collapse upon melting in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. Moreover, these polymers demonstrate non-toxicity towards a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The polycondensation of betulin with butyl lactate is particularly noteworthy.

Keywords: ROP; betulin; biodegradable polymers; polycondensation; renewable raw materials.

Grants and funding

This research is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Program No. 075-03-2024-118/1 (Russia). S.A.C.C. acknowledges FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) for projects DOIs: 10.54499/LA/P/0008/2020, 10.54499/UIDP/50006/2020, 10.54499/UIDB/50006/2020 and for the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Institutional Call (DOI: 10.54499/CEECINST/00102/2018/CP1567/CT0026).