Water and vapor permeability at different temperatures of poly (3-Hydroxybutyrate) dense membranes

Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polymers produced from renewable resources with biodegradability and biocompatibility, being therefore attractive for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is the most important polymer of this family by considering the biotechnology process of its synthesis. In the present study, dense films of PHB were prepared by casting from chloroform solutions (1% m/m). Permeability studies with water, methanol, ethanol and n-propanol were performed using the gravimetric method at different temperatures (from 50 °C to 65 °C). Results provide new data on permeability coefficients of PHB membranes.