Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) is an important bio-based and biodegradable polymer and attracts lots of attention stemming from its good mechanical properties that are complementary to other biobased polyesters. PBS has relatively slow biodegradation due to its high degree of crystallinity, which limits its utility in targeted applications. It is known that enzymatic degradation depends on polymer chemistry, solid-state morphology (i.e. crystallinity), molecular weight and other structural factors. In this paper, PBS-based copolyesters were synthesized through a melt polycondensation process and enzymatic degradation was carried out using lipase from Candida rugosa. Rate of enzymatic degradation and thermal properties were found to vary depending on the ratio of butanediol to hexanediol in the copolymer. The combined analysis of the enzymatic degradation rate and change in the morphology and molecular weight of a series of PBS-based copolyesters demonstrated the relative contributions of polymer chemistry, thermal properties and crystallinity. PBS-based copolyesters with tunable enzymatic degradation show promise as a more sustainable substitute for non-biodegradable plastics in agriculture and packaging industries.

聚丁二酸丁二酯（PBS）是一种重要的生物基可生物降解聚合物，由于其良好的机械性能而与其他生物基聚酯互补，因此引起了很多关注。PBS由于其高结晶度而具有相对较慢的生物降解性，这限制了其在目标应用中的实用性。已知酶促降解取决于聚合物化学，固态形态（即结晶度），分子量和其他结构因素。在本文中，通过熔融缩聚过程合成了PBS基共聚酯，并使用来自假丝酵母（Candida rugosa）的脂肪酶进行了酶促降解。发现酶降解的速率和热性能根据共聚物中丁二醇与己二醇的比例而变化。一系列基于PBS的共聚酯的酶促降解速率以及形态和分子量变化的综合分析证明了聚合物化学，热性质和结晶度的相对贡献。具有可调节酶降解作用的基于PBS的共聚酯显示出有望成为农业和包装行业中不可生物降解塑料的更可持续替代品。