2026-10-14T15:39:21Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34018263 2026-09-28T19:06:07Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_915 category_7 category_12 category_13 category_14 category_873 category_39 category_106 category_132 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

Role of Crystalline Structure in the Marine Biodegradation Process of Polyamide 6 Yingjun An (15669820) Adchara Padermshoke (2513359) Tomoko Kajiwara (15669823) Shota Ando (15375157) Dai-ichiro Kato (3034890) Hiroyasu Masunaga (1448350) Sono Sasaki (1522621) Kohzo Ito (1367196) Atsushi Takahara (1366899) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified Medicine Cell Biology Genetics Molecular Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Science Policy Infectious Diseases natural environments offer global plastic pollution could potentially contribute study also addresses small particle sizes including chemical composition undergo preferential degradation persistent nanoscale particles marine biodegradation process preferential degradation particle size marine biodegradability including crystallinity also demonstrating varying crystallinities surface accessibility strongly associated simultaneously altering sample morphology sample geometry relatively resistant promising solution polymer biodegradability polyamide 6 ongoing controversy multiple parameters molecular weight milling enhanced interchangeably reported fully decomposing environmental implications either biodegradable direct characterization crystallite size crystalline structure crystalline morphology crystalline counterpart amorphous phase Biodegradable plastics capable of fully decomposing in natural environments offer a promising solution to global plastic pollution. Polymer biodegradability is governed by multiple parameters, including chemical composition, crystalline morphology, and sample geometry. Although the amorphous phase is hypothesized to undergo preferential degradation over its crystalline counterpart, direct evidence remains elusive. Herein, we investigated the marine biodegradability of polyamide 6 (PA6) with varying crystallinities to elucidate the contribution of crystalline structure to its biodegradation behavior. This study also addresses the ongoing controversy in literature, where PA6 is interchangeably reported as either biodegradable or nonbiodegradable. We demonstrated that PA6 biodegradability is strongly associated with its crystalline structure and sample morphology, including crystallinity, crystallite size, and surface accessibility. Cryo-milling enhanced the biodegradation of PA6 particles by simultaneously altering their particle size, crystalline structure, and molecular weight, whereas subsequent reannealing markedly suppressed their biodegradation despite their small particle sizes. These results further support a strong contribution of crystalline structure to PA6 biodegradation while also demonstrating that the effects of crystalline structure and sample geometry are coupled. Furthermore, the preferential degradation of less-ordered regions may leave crystalline remnants that are relatively resistant to further biodegradation and could potentially contribute to the formation of persistent nanoscale particles. However, direct characterization of such particles is required to verify this possibility and evaluate their environmental implications. 2026-09-28T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acsapm.6c03047.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Role_of_Crystalline_Structure_in_the_Marine_Biodegradation_Process_of_Polyamide_6/34018263 CC BY-NC 4.0