KCS

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has been studied extensively as an environment-friendly polymers. To improve the physical properties of PHB for wide range of applications, PHB-based copolymers such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydrohexanoate) (P(HB-co-HHX)) has recently been introduced. Since the mechanical properties and chemical stability of a crystalline polymer strongly depend on the crystal structure and morphology, it is of importance to investigate the temperature-dependent molecular interaction for developing practical biodegradable materials. In this study, 2D correlation spectroscopy was applied to the temperature-dependent IR and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of thin films of P(HB-co-HHx)to investigate thermal behavior of P(HB-co-HHx).