Advancing biopolymer design through thermal analysis and modelling
ViSS project insights into the thermal behaviour of the biodegradable polymer PHBV
Within the European project ViSS, partners are working to develop and optimise biopolymers by improving the understanding of their thermal and structural properties. Romain Delannoy, Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, presented recent results from a joint study with computational theorists from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Flash Differential Scanning Calorimetry (Flash DSC) experiments were carried out to validate the Molecular Dynamics modelling. Unlike conventional DSC, Flash DSC enables extremely high cooling rates – up to 4,000 K/s – keeping the biodegradable polymer PHBV fully amorphous and allowing for a more accurate determination of its glass transition temperature (Tg)
Two methods were compared: one correcting for structural relaxation effects, and another using these effects to directly identify the glass transition. Within ViSS, this work allows for more accurate predictions of thermal properties of PHBV and understand how to control crystallisation.
Image by Freepik