Miniemulsification and emulsion/solvent evaporation techniques were combined to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanoparticles. Those nanoparticles were prepared with different PHBV molar masses and PHBV concentrations to verify their effect on the final particle size. Nanoparticles with an average diameter of 133 nm were obtained when a low molar mass (Mw = 44,350 g/...

Polymer scaffold systems consisting of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) have proven to be possible matrices for the three-dimensional growth of chondrocyte cultures. However, the engineered cartilage grown on these PHBV scaffolds is currently unsatisfactory for clinical applications due to PHBV's poor hydrophilicity, resulting in inadequate thickness and poor biomechanical proper...

Scaffolds have an important role in cartilage tissue engineering. Poly(hydroxybutyrate‑co‑hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) has been demonstrated to have potential as a scaffold for the three dimensional construction of engineered cartilage tissue. However, the poor hydrophilicity and mechanical strength associated with PHBV affects its clinical applications as a scaffold in cartilage tissue engineering....

The efficacy of composite materials for bone tissue engineering is dependent on the materials' ability to support bone regeneration whilst inducing a minimal inflammatory response. In this study we examined the in vitro osteogenic and inflammatory properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-valerate) (PHBV) with various calcium phosphate-reinforcing phases: nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA); submicr...

The purpose of this work was to develop a modified release system for the herbicide ametryn by encapsulating the active substance in biodegradable polymer microparticles produced using the polymers poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) or poly(hydroxybutyrate-valerate) (PHBV), in order to both improve the herbicidal action and reduce environmental toxicity. PHB or PHBV microparticles containing ametryn w...

Locally oriented tissue engineering scaffolds can provoke cellular orientation and direct cell spread and migration, offering an exciting potential way for the regeneration of the complex tissue. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) scaffolds with locally oriented hydrophilic polyacrylamide (PAM) inside the macropores of the scaffolds were achieved through UV graft polymerization...

Fungal degradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) film in soil was described mathematically in terms of the surface growth rate of fungal hyphae and the degradation ability of fungal depolymerase. The surface growth rate of fungi was derived from the notion of equivalent symmetric tree model and was expressed for the two different growth phases, i.e. exponential phase an...

Plastic prepared from formulations of cornstarch and poly(b-hydroxybutyrate-co-b-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biodegraded in tropical coastal waters. Biodegradation was monitored for 1 year. Starch—PHBV bioplastic appeared to lose weight in two overlapping phases until both biopolymers were entirely consumed. To examine the underlying degradation of starch and PHBV from biphasic weight-loss profiles...

Levulinic acid (LA) can be cost-effectively produced from a vast array of renewable carbohydrate-containing biomaterials. LA could facilitate the commercialization of the polymer poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and PHBV-based products as carbon substrates. Therefore, this paper focused on the production of PHBV by Ralstonia eutropha with LA for hydroxyvalerate (HV) production, w...

The combination of a natural polymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and a synthetic hydrophobic polymer poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is promising for the preparation of biodegradable and biocompatible small-diameter vascular grafts for bypass surgery. However, physico-mechanical properties and endothelialization rate of PHBV/PCL grafts are poor. We suggested that incorporatio...