M.M. Sotzing
PolyC Plastics and Composites,
United States
Keywords: sustainability, circularity, biopolymer, startup
Summary:
Sustainably sourced cannabinoids (from hemp) are polymerized with ubiquitous linking monomers to create biopolymer plastics with readily tunable material properties. The novel Polycannabinoid material platform boasts high hydrophobicity, inherent antioxidant/anticorrosion properties, and degradation paths for a circular economy. Polycannabinoid properties have been leveraged in transient electronics, biomonitoring, and nanotechnology. Diol cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), to name a few, can be used as monomers to produce numerous functional class commodity-type polymers including polyesters, polycarbonates, polyurethanes, polysiloxanes, and various random, and random- block-copolymers. Further, cannabinoids consisting of single alcohol units can be utilized as endcap agents, and as various acrylated monomers in the synthesis of polyacrylates. These are nonphenolic anti-oxidant polymers derived from natural source, with the ability to tune both thermal and mechanical properties. For example, Polycannabinoid homopolymers synthesized to date have demonstrated glass transitions ranging from -33 to 172 C, and exhibiting a range of water contact angles from 82 and 101 degrees on free-standing films. Polycannabinoids and composites thereof have been developed for: (1) capacitor dielectrics due to high dielectric constant (3.5) and high Tg (2) nanoparticle stabilization of corrodible metals exploiting antioxidant capacity, (3) anti-corrosion barriers for bulk materials, (4) high-conductivity printable electronics using stabilized particle metal alternatives to silver, (5) block-copolymerized mechanical adhesives. In addition to sustainably sourced raw materials, certain Polycannabinoid chemistries have been demonstrated to be selectively susceptible to degradation in mildly basic conditions (pH 10) yielding monomers in solution for disposal or potential repolymerization while also enabling transient electronics applications. The versatility and unique properties of Polycannabinoids sets them apart from other biopolymers and even many commercial plastics since they are anti-oxidant polymers, requiring no additive, and are derived from natural sources. By adjusting the: monomer type, A:A/B:B monomer ratio, molecular weight, or blending/copolymerization, the thermal and physicomechanical properties of conventional polymers can be emulated. Tunability is achieved in a unified additive-free polymerization process that streamlines production with minimal pre- and post-processing comparable to commercial nylon. Polycannabinoids provide significant advantages in corrosion mitigation due to a high antioxidant capacity. Coupled with high hydrophobicity, they possess significant barrier properties. Minimal cytotoxicity, comparable to tissue culture protein, could diminish the environmental impact of corrosion prevention replacing toxic or hormonally disruptive alternatives. Many industrial metals oxidize over time and unmitigated corrosion accounts for ~3.1% of U.S. GDP according to the NACE which positions Polycannabinoids to succeed as the first commercial additive-free biopolymer corrosion barrier. Applications in transformational technologies such as printed and transient electronics, nanoparticle stabilization offer high potential ROI where antioxidant hydrophobic biopolymers are largely absent.