Polymers shape human life but they also have been identified as pollutants in the oceans due to their long lifetime and low degradability. Recently, various researchers have studied the impact of (micro)plastics on marine life, biodiversity, and potential toxicity. Even if the consequences are still heavily discussed, prevention of unnecessary waste is desired. Especially, newly designed polymers that degrade in seawater are discussed as potential alternatives to commodity polymers in certain applications. Biodegradable polymers that degrade in vivo (used for biomedical applications) or during composting often exhibit too slow degradation rates in seawater. To date, no comprehensive summary for the degradation performance of polymers in seawater has been reported, nor are the studies for seawater‐degradation following uniform standards. This review summarizes concepts, mechanisms, and other factors affecting the degradation process in seawater of several biodegradable polymers or polymer blends. As most of such materials cannot degrade or degrade too slowly, strategies and innovative routes for the preparation of seawater‐degradable polymers with rapid degradation in natural environments are reviewed. It is believed that this selection will help to further understand and drive the development of seawater‐degradable polymers.

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海水可降解聚合物——对抗海洋塑料污染

聚合物塑造了人类的生活，但由于其长寿命和低降解性，它们也被认为是海洋污染物。最近，各种研究人员研究了（微）塑料对海洋生物、生物多样性和潜在毒性的影响。即使后果仍被广泛讨论，但仍希望防止不必要的浪费。特别是，新设计的可在海水中降解的聚合物被讨论为某些应用中商品聚合物的潜在替代品。在体内降解（用于生物医学应用）或在堆肥过程中降解的可生物降解聚合物通常在海水中表现出过慢的降解速率。迄今为止，还没有关于聚合物在海水中的降解性能的全面总结的报道，也没有遵循统一标准的海水降解研究。本综述总结了影响几种可生物降解聚合物或聚合物共混物在海水中降解过程的概念、机制和其他因素。由于大多数此类材料不能降解或降解太慢，本文综述了在自然环境中快速降解的海水可降解聚合物的制备策略和创新路线。相信这一选择将有助于进一步了解和推动海水可降解聚合物的发展。