Abstract
Poly-(R)-3-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bacterial storage polyesters, which are accumulated by a wide variety of microorganisms as a reserve of carbon and energy. Currently, these biopolymers are receiving much attention because of their potential application as biodegradable and biocompatible plastics. The polymer appears as submicron intracellular granules. The biosynthesis of these granules has been studied extensively but many observations remain inexplicable. This paper draws an analogy between the process of emulsion polymerization and that of granule formation. This analogy may explain many of the unknown features of granule formation and may also lead to useful applications of granules as latex products.
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de Koning, G.J.M., Maxwell, I.A. Biosynthesis of poly-(R)-3-hydroxyalkanoate: An emulsion polymerization. J Environ Polym Degr 1, 223–226 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01458030
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01458030