journal article·2025-08

Sequential Multiaxial Stretching‐Engineered Polyhydroxyalkanoates/Graphene Quantum Dot Composites: Synergistic Enhancement of Mechanical Robustness, Long‐Term Stability, and Multifunctionality for Sustainable Materials

Pengwu Xu, Jiale Liu, Bo Liu, Qian Wang, Deyu Niu, Weijun Yang, Tianxi Liu, Piming Ma

Small· Volume 21· Issue 31
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), despite their biodegradability and compostability, face limitations in practical applications due to insufficient mechanical strength, poor storage stability, and lack of functionality. A melt‐blending and solid‐phase sequential multiaxial stretching strategy to synergistically address these challenges by incorporating graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as multifunctional nanofillers is proposed. During melt processing, GQDs achieve uniform dispersion within the PHA matrix, while the sequential stretching protocol facilitates the transformation of interlamellar tie molecules from α to β‐form crystal. This structural evolution enhances crystallinity, molecular orientation, and rigid amorphous fraction, yielding a tenfold increase in tensile strength (from 18.2 to 190.5 MPa) while retaining high elongation at break (70%). The optimized PHAs/GQDs composites demonstrate exceptional storage stability, retaining tensile strength at 147.9 MPa and elongation at break at 57%, respectively, after 30‐day aging. Notably, the incorporation of 2 wt.% GQDs imparts robust antimicrobial performance (bacterial adhesion <0.4 × 10⁵ CFU mL −1 ), UV‐shielding capability (>90% for UVB), and fluorescence stability. This scalable manufacturing approach establishes a foundation for developing high‐performance PHA‐based materials in sustainable packaging applications.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties · Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications · Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids Ministry of Education Jiangnan University 1800 Lihu Road Wuxi 214122 China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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