[内容简介]

in this book, the authors discuss the production, properties and applications of degradable polymers. Topics discussed in this

compilation include the increasing production and utilization of synthetic polymer materials and the global environmental problem

caused by their accumulation in natural systems; biodegradable plastics as an alternative to chemical polymers;

polyhydroxyalkaates (PHAs) polymers of hydroxyalkaic acids synthesised by bacteria; the biochemical pathways of synthesis of

various PHAs; substrates for PHA synthesis; PHA production and the physicochemical properties of PHA;

|biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkaates in natural environments; potential areas for PHA application; PHA as a platform for drug

delivery; PHA matrices for cell and tissue engineering; and the biomedical potential of PHA.

[目录]

Preface;

1.  Synthetic Non-Degradable Polymers: Increasing Amounts & Environmental Challenges;

2.  Biodegradable Plastics as an Alternative to Chemical Polymers;

3.  Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoates (Phas) Polymers of the 21st Century;

4.  Microbiological Synthesis of PHAs;

5.  Substrates for PHA Synthesis;

6.  PHA Production: Present & Future;

7.  Physicochemical Properties of PHAs;

8.  Biodegradation of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Natural Environments;

References;

Index.