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BIOPOLYMER Intelligence

Overview / Routes / Bio-based polyamides

Polyamides

Bio-based polyamides

PA11 from castor oil, PA 5.X from bio-cadaverine, and long-chain polyamides from plant-oil diacids.

Scope: PA11 (castor), PA 5.X (cadaverine), PA410, PA610, PA1010, new bio-diamines and diacids.

What it is

Winnacker and Rieger review bio-based polyamides and note that some, such as PA-11 (Rilsan), have been established for decades while many others remain at research stage.

1,5-Diaminopentane (cadaverine) can be produced biotechnologically as a polyamide building block (Kind and Wittmann).

Chemistry summary

Polyamides form by polycondensation of diamines with diacids, or of amino acids. Bio-based building blocks can add side groups, functionality or stereochemistry (Winnacker and Rieger).

monomer

11-Aminoundecanoic acid

Castor-derived amino acid monomer of PA11.

NCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O

PubChem CID 17083 · source

feedstock

Ricinoleic acid

Main fatty acid of castor oil; source of PA11 and sebacic-acid chemistry and of bio-polyols.

CCCCCC[C@@H](O)C/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)O

PubChem CID 643684 · source

monomer

Sebacic acid

C10 diacid for PA610 and PA1010.

OC(=O)CCCCCCCCC(=O)O

PubChem CID 5192 · source

monomer

Cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane)

Bio-produced diamine for PA 5.X polyamides.

NCCCCCN

PubChem CID 273 · source

monomer

1,10-Decanediamine

C10 diamine for PA1010 and PA10.X polyamides.

NCCCCCCCCCCN

PubChem CID 1317 · source

n
repeat unit

Polyamide 11

Repeat unit of PA11. Hydrolysis returns 11-aminoundecanoic acid.

*NCCCCCCCCCCC(*)=O

verified via aua · source

Drawn from SMILES with RDKit and verified against PubChem. Full structure library →

Synthesis and production

Castor-derived 11-aminoundecanoic acid gives PA11; sebacic acid from castor is a diacid for PA610 and PA1010.

Property profile

Hydrogen bonding between amide groups controls crystallinity and moisture uptake; values belong in the property table only with a quote and DOI.

Sourced property table (ND where no value is quoted) →

End-of-life profile

Each attribute is recorded separately and never inferred from another.

Bio-based originGrade-specific; PA11 is built from a castor-derived monomer.
BiodegradabilityNot assessed here.
CompostabilityNot assessed here.
RecyclabilityNot assessed here.

Key players

None listed. Organisations are named here only when a checked development or cited source names them.

Typical applications
engineering parts (as cited in reviews)

Open challenges

  • Moisture uptake and dimensional stability.
  • Feedstock concentration (castor) and cost.

Cross-cutting: Moisture & hydrolytic stability · Feedstock availability, land use & variability · Cost per kg resin and per finished part

Quoted support for this page (1)
  • While some biopolyamides are known for decades and well established (e.g., PA‐11, Rilsan) [Winnacker 2016]

Each quote is re-checked against the published abstract in CI.

Monthly track

October 2026 in progress · scanned through 2026-10-20

No checked developments.

Machine-triaged leads (4)
machine-triagedFormulation / applicationOct 2026· European Polymer Journaljournaltitle only

DBU-catalyzed reactive compatibilization for bio-based PA11 and acrylate-natural rubber blends: towards a new strategy for sustainable thermoplastic elastomer

DBU-catalyzed reactive compatibilization is applied to blends of bio-based PA11 and acrylate-natural rubber, targeting a sustainable thermoplastic elastomer.
“DBU-catalyzed reactive compatibilization for bio-based PA11 and acrylate-natural rubber blends” (title)
doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2026.115095
machine-triagedFormulation / application1 Oct 2026· Polymer Testingjournal

Understanding anisotropic fracture behavior of laser sintered polyamide 11 through pore architecture

X-ray CT shows that pore morphology and banded distribution, rather than total porosity, govern crack initiation and fracture toughness in laser-sintered bio-based PA11.
“the fracture behavior of SLS-manufactured PA11 is better explained by the pore morphology and spatial distribution” (abstract)
doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2026.109394
machine-triagedFormulation / applicationOct 2026· Chemical Engineering Journaljournaltitle only

Unraveling the multi-scale pyrolysis mechanism in the melt-pyrolysis coupling process of polyamide 4: A high-melting bio-based plastic with green chemical recycling potential

Study examines the multi-scale pyrolysis mechanism of bio-based polyamide 4 in a melt-pyrolysis coupling process, framed as a chemical recycling route.
“multi-scale pyrolysis mechanism in the melt-pyrolysis coupling process of polyamide 4” (title)
doi:10.1016/j.cej.2026.179908
machine-triagedFormulation / application6 Oct 2026· Chemical Engineering Journaljournaltitle only

Synergistic electromechanical enhancement of biobased PA511 and 3D-printed biomimetic architectures for wearable real-time cardiac monitoring with ultra-low force sensitivity

Bio-based PA511 combined with 3D-printed biomimetic architectures is reported for wearable real-time cardiac monitoring with ultra-low force sensitivity.
“Synergistic electromechanical enhancement of biobased PA511 and 3D-printed biomimetic architectures” (title)
doi:10.1016/j.cej.2026.182814

September 2026

No checked developments.

Machine-triaged leads (3)
machine-triagedFormulation / application1 Sept 2026· Journal of Polymer Researchjournal

Sustainable flame-retardant polyamide compounds? Combining bio-based matrices with glass fiber reinforcement for aviation applications

A bio-based polyamide compound (PA1010) with halogen-free flame retardants and glass-fibre reinforcement is developed for aircraft cabin components made by robot-assisted additive manufacturing.
“The final PA1010-based compound meets all defined requirements and achieves a tensile strength of 102 MPa” (abstract)
doi:10.1007/s10965-026-05104-0

References

  1. Winnacker M., Rieger B. (2016). Biobased Polyamides: Recent Advances in Basic and Applied Research. Macromolecular Rapid Communications. doi:10.1002/marc.201600181 review
  2. Kind S., Wittmann C. (2011). Bio-based production of the platform chemical 1,5-diaminopentane. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. doi:10.1007/s00253-011-3457-2 review
  3. Nakajima H., Dijkstra P., Loos K. (2017). The Recent Developments in Biobased Polymers toward General and Engineering Applications: Polymers that are Upgraded from Biodegradable Polymers, Analogous to Petroleum-Derived Polymers, and Newly Developed. Polymers. doi:10.3390/polym9100523 review

Full literature list →