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Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Post-processing antioxidant for polymers

Country of Origin: Spain
Reference Number: TOES20200115001
Publication Date: 15 January 2020

Summary

A Spanish university has developed a water-based metal atomic quantum clusters formulation that can be applied directly onto the surface of polymeric materials to avoid their oxidation. The antioxidant treatment doesn’t affect the visual and mechanical properties of the polymer and is applied after the processing. The university is looking for chemical companies related with polymer production interested in licensing the technology.

Description

All polymeric materials, from plastics to coatings and adhesives, suffer extensive degradation in the course of their life cycle due to oxidation and light exposure. The overall phenomena known as weathering, or ageing, affects visual and mechanical properties, such as color, transparency, strength and flexibility of the materials. 

A class of stabilizers known as antioxidants are usually added to the majority of industrial polymers during their processing, in order to inhibit or retard ageing. As a fact, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and many other polymers would deteriorate in a very short time if not additivated with antioxidant formulations. 

A university located in the North-West of Spain has developed an antioxidant system completely different to the traditional ones, because it is applied directly upon the surface of the polymeric material. The water-based formulation comprises the use of metal atomic quantum clusters (AQCs), delays the oxidation of polymers and may be applied after the processing.

The university is looking for license agreements with customers from chemical industry related with polymer manufacturing and/or treatment and with capacity for distribution and commercialization in different world regions. These customers will have the capacity to negotiate the patent licensing of the technology and to bring the product to market.

Advantages and Innovations

The main innovative advantages are:

• use of very small amount of antioxidant formulation;

• the antioxidant treatment does not affect the visual and mechanical properties of the polymer (it is invisible);

• water-based formulation (without the emission of organic volatiles);

• application onto the polymer surface instead of mixing it with the polymer during processing;

• post-processing application;

• susceptible of application onto degraded polymers (coatings and plastic object);

• treatment susceptible of periodical application.

Stage Of Development

Field tested/evaluated

Stage Of Development Comment

TRL 4, the technology was validated in the laboratory

Requested partner

The university would like to sign a license agreement with entities from the chemical industry directly related with polymer production/treatment able to distribute and commercialize the technology in different world regions.