Scalable Interfacial Polymerization of Thermally Processable Biodegradable Polyesters

Aliphatic-aromatic polyesters (AAPE) have gained traction as sustainable alternatives to polyethylene-based packaging due to their superior biodegradability and comparable mechanical properties. Unfortunately, the large-scale deployment of these polyesters remains limited due to manufacturing challenges such as time- and energy-consuming syntheses and difficulty with thermal processing due to depolymerization. In this work we describe the implementation of a stirred interfacial polymerization (IP) framework to enable the rapid, open-air, high-yield synthesis of AAPE with tailored chemical structures and properties. We explore the effect of reaction conditions – such as aromatic vs aliphatic character and additive concentrations – on polymer yield and thermal properties. We characterize the mechanical properties of AAPE films made via hot pressing and compare the results with state-of-the-art synthetic packaging. This IP synthesis has potential as a scalable manufacturing pathway for biodegradable polyester-based packaging with enhanced thermal processability and mechanical properties.