Bioactive plastics with programmable degradation and microplastic elimination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12281208-B2
Application number	US-202217844026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2022
Priority date	Jan 5, 2020
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

Nanoscopic dispersion of trace enzymes and random heteropolymers in plastics provides to fully functional plastics with eco-friendly microplastic elimination and programmable degradation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bioactive plastic composition comprising an organic polymer and a nanoscopic dispersion of complexes of random heteropolymers and an enzyme that hydrolyzes the polymer, such that hydrolysis of the polymer by the enzyme imparts depolymerization and microplastic elimination, wherein the complexes are uniformly distributed within the composition, the complexes range in size from 10 nm to 500 nm, wherein the size of the complexes is the hydrodynamic diameter of the complexes, the composition comprises 0.001 to 5 wt % enzyme content, and wherein the random heteropolymers comprise varying ratios of a plurality of monomers selected from methyl methacrylate (MMA), oligo (ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA), 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (3-SPMA) and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (2-EHMA) wherein polymer/enzyme combinations are selected from selected from polycaprolactone/lipase, polylactic acid/proteinase K, and polyethylene terephthalate/PETase.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range in size from 10 nm to 200 nm.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range in size from 20 nm to 200 nm.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range in size from 10 nm to 100 nm.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range in size from 20 nm to 100 nm.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme content is 0.001 to 1 wt %.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme content is 0.01 to 1 wt %.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme content is 0.001 to 0.1 wt %.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme content is 0.01 to 0.1 wt %.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range from 10 nm to 500 nm between crystalline polymer lamellae of the composition.

11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range from 10 nm to 200 nm between crystalline polymer lamellae of the composition.

12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range from 10 nm to 100 nm between crystalline polymer lamellae of the composition.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the complexes range from 40 nm to 100 nm between crystalline polymer lamellae of the composition.

14. The composition of claim 1 , formulated in a conductive ink for 3-D printing.

15. The composition of claim 1 , formulated in a conductive ink for 3-D printing and comprising a precious metal filler, wherein the method provides 50 to 99% recovery of the precious metal filler.

16. The composition of claim 1 , configured to provide continuous degradation of the organic polymer and achieve 95% microplastic elimination.

17. The composition of claim 1 , configured to provide a polymer-based degradation mechanism with repolymerizable small molecule by-products via selective chain end scission rather than random chain scission.

18. The composition of claim 1 , configured to provide spatially- and temporally-programmable degradation of melt- or solution-processed host matrix due to the dependence of polymer degradation on local lamellae thickness regardless of bulk percent crystallinity.

19. A method of programmable degradation and microplastic elimination, the method comprising:
providing a bioactive plastic composition of claim 1 ; and
maintaining the composition under conditions wherein the enzyme cleaves the polymer backbone to achieve programmable degradation and microplastic elimination.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Xu Ting
• Delre Christopher
• Kwon Junpyo

Classifications

• C12P17/08

  containing a hetero ring of at least seven ring members, e.g. zearalenone, macrolide aglycons · CPC title

• C08L67/04

  Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids, e.g. lactones (C08L67/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08J2367/04

  Polyesters derived from hydroxy carboxylic acids, e.g. lactones (C08J2367/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08K2201/005

  Additives being defined by their particle size in general · CPC title

• C08K2201/011

  Nanostructured additives · CPC title