Patent ID: 8680192

Claim:
A thermoplastic composition, comprising: (a) polyhydroxyalkanoate, (b) an effective amount of surface treated precipitated calcium carbonate to crystallize the polyhydroxyalkanoate at a temperature of higher than about 108° C., and wherein the precipitated calcium carbonate is represented by CAS No. 471-34-1 and has an aspect ratio of about 5.42 and a specific gravity of about 2.7, wherein the effective amount is not more than about 6 weight percent of the composition, and (c) an effective amount of a property-modifying additive selected from the group consisting of a thermal conductivity additive, an electrical conductivity additive, a sound dampening additive, an ionizing-radiation-opacity additive, an atomic-particle-moderating additive, and combinations thereof, wherein the thermal conductivity additive selected from the group consisting of pitch carbon, graphite, diamond, metal nitrides, nanotubes of carbon, titanium diboride, cobalt, zinc, molybdenum, iridium, silicon, rhodium, magnesium, tungsten, berylium, aluminum, gold, copper, silver, and combinations thereof, wherein the electrical conductivity additive selected from the group consisting of carbon black, silver, copper, stainless steel powder or fibers, graphite, zinc, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, manganese, bismuth, samarium, titanium, zirconium, lead, antimony, vanadium, chromium, tin, palladium, platinum, iron, nickel, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, iridium, indium, rhodium, magnesium, berylium, aluminum, gold, silver, magnetite, bronze, brass, and combinations thereof, wherein the sound dampening additive selected from the group consisting of tungsten, barium sulfate, zirconium sulfate, calcium sulfate, lead, tungsten, gold, platinum, iridium, osmium, rhenium, tantalum, hafnium, palladium, rhodium, borite, magnetite, hematite, zirconia, ceramic beads, chromite, and combinations thereof, wherein the ionizing-radiation-opacity additive selected from the group consisting of tungsten, lead, zirconium, graphite, silicon, indium, aluminum, iridium, boron, cadmium, europium, samarium, and combinations thereof, wherein the atomic-particle-moderating additive selected from the group consisting of tungsten, lead, zirconium, graphite, silicon, indium, aluminum, iridium, boron, cadmium, europium, samarium, and combinations thereof.