PHBV is a promising plastic for replacing conventional petroleum-based plastics in the future. However, the mechanical properties of PHBV are too low for use in high-stress applications and the degradation of the polymer limits possible applications. In this work, the mechanical properties were, therefore, increased using bio-based regenerated cellulose fibers and degradation processes of the PHBV-RCF composites were detected in accelerated aging tests under various environmental conditions. Mechanical, optical, rheological and thermal analysis methods were used for this characterization. The fibers significantly increased the mechanical properties, in particular the impact strength. Different degradation mechanisms were identified. UV radiation caused the test specimens to fade significantly, but no reduction in mechanical properties was observed. After storage in water and in aqueous solutions, the mechanical properties of the compounds were significantly reduced. The reason for this was assumed to be hydrolytic degradation catalyzed by higher temperatures. The hydrolytic degradation of PHBV was mainly caused by erosion from the test specimen surface. By exposing the regenerated cellulose fibers, this effect could now also be visually verified. For the use of regenerated cellulose fiber-reinforced PHBV in more durable applications, the aging mechanisms that occur must be prevented in the future through the use of stabilizers.

Rough, capillary-active surfaces remain demanding substrates for microcontact printing (µCP), as the diffusive mobility of the ink thereon drastically limits the printing resolution. To reduce ink smearing, we developed a polymer-supported μCP, which includes a stamp with a polymer brush-decorated surface. The ink molecules are thereby bound into the stamp-bound brush matrix, from where they may be transferred to the substrate, which exclusively occurs during the contact of both interfaces. Conventionally, Slygard184-based polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps are used for µCP. The material’s surface must be functionalized in a multi-step procedure for the protocol. In addition, Sylgard comes along with a drawback of a persistent leakage oligomeric PDMS (oPDMS), which can contaminate the substrate. To circumvent these problems, we developed a novel stamp material, that (i) enables a straightforward polymer grafting, and (ii) shows a low tendency of oPDMS leakage. We prepare the stamp with a commercially available amino-functional PDMS prepolymer, and a polymer-ic crosslinker that can be used for a controlled photoiniferter reversible addition and fragmentation chain transfer (PI-RAFT) polymerization. The prepared stamp shows elastic properties at the relevant strain region, is compatible with brush formation, and has been demonstrated demonstrated suitable to transfer precise patterns on rough capillary-active oxide surfaces.