Summary
Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) are bacterially produced, biodegradable polyesters attractive for sustainable materials, but electrospun PHA mats often need mechanical reinforcement. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are excellent reinforcing fillers, yet they tend to aggregate and bond poorly with a polymer matrix. To overcome this, the authors chemically grafted PHA chains onto the surface of carbon nanotubes, creating nanofillers that are chemically compatible with the surrounding PHA. These PHA-grafted CNTs disperse far more uniformly and adhere better to the matrix than untreated nanotubes. When incorporated into PHA-based fibres produced by electrospinning, the functionalised nanotubes act as an effective reinforcing agent, improving the properties of the resulting mats. The study demonstrates that surface grafting is a viable route to well-dispersed, mechanically reinforced PHA nanocomposite fibre mats.