PFI: Next Generation Bioplastic Nanocomposites

纽约大学理工学院(NYU-Poly)的这一创新伙伴关系项目旨在满足开发生物塑料的需求，这种生物塑料除了具有生物基础和理想的环境足迹外，还将为未来的客户提供比现有材料更好的性能特征。这样做是至关重要的，以激励消费者放弃目前的石油衍生材料的新的世界生物塑料，如本文提出的那些。该项目团队追求的战略是利用具有适当性能组合的生物塑料，同时专注于设计这些组件之间的界面或边界，以优化材料性能。具体地说，选定的材料成分包括纤维素纳米晶须(CNW)、聚(欧米伽-羟基脂肪酸)(P(omega-OHFAs))和聚乳酸(PLA)。P(Omeg-OHFAs)具有良好的水解性和物理韧性，而聚乳酸-CNW纳米复合材料具有较高的弹性模量和较高的使用温度。该项目中的知识增强型合作伙伴(KEP)小型企业PolyNew Inc.(工程CNW)和SyntheZyme LLC(P(omega-OHFA)及其与聚乳酸的混合物)将所需的技术结合在一起，利用材料的合理组合产生的协同效应，以提供性能卓越的100%生物基生物塑料。Omega-OHFAs的生产将使用SyntheZyme新设计的酵母菌株进行，这是第一条将脂肪酸转化为omega-HOFAs的有效生物技术路线。P(omega-HOFAs)具有与中密度聚乙烯(PE)相似的性质。然而，与PE不同的是，P(omega-HOFAs)含有由13到17个亚甲基(CH2)单元隔开的酯基。因此，P(omega-HOFAs)在保持化学反应活性的同时，提供了重要的类似PE的性能，如耐水性和优异的延展性，因此它们可以与聚乳酸反应共混，并被CNW增强。PolyNew Inc.和SyntheZyme LLC将合作开发使CNW功能化的技术，以设计与混合P(omega-HOFA)和PLA的相互作用。碳纳米管令人印象深刻的性能源于它们的长径比，使它们能够在相对较低的载荷下达到其渗流阈值(例如，在材料内实现远程连接)，从而导致令人印象深刻的模数增加。初步工作表明，P(omega-OHFA)/聚乳酸共混物具有良好的性能，加入特定功能化的碳纳米管将使其受益匪浅。这项研究对整个社会的更广泛影响是多方面的。该项目符合支持更多使用生物产品的联邦政策，包括2008年的《食品、保护和能源法案》，该法案旨在确保建立足够大的新的、非食品、非饲料的生物质作物基础，以满足对可再生能源和生物制品的需求。在社会上，塑料、林业和农业部门的就业具有优势--该项目大力支持创造绿色就业机会。减少对石油的依赖(即使是相对温和的)也被认为是有益的。将促进教学和培训，并将开展大量的外联活动。该项目开始时的合作伙伴是知识增进伙伴(KEP)部门，由纽约大学保利分校(纽约州布鲁克林)和两家小型企业伙伴公司组成：SyntheZyme LLC(布鲁克林，纽约州)，一家私人持股的小型企业；PolyNew Inc.(Golden，CO)，一家私人持股的小型企业。其他合作伙伴是学术机构组织：科罗拉多大学、安舒茨医学院(CO)、科罗拉多矿业学院(CO)、纽约大学朗格尼医学中心(NY)、纽约大学牙科学院(NY)、纪念斯隆·凯特林研究所(NY)和丹佛科学与技术学院(DSST)(CO)；私营部门组织：Fish&amp；Richardson；Smith，Gambrell&Amp；Russell，LLP；Berenbaum&amp；Weinsheienk；Seed Air；Dart Packaging；DSM；ADM；NatureWorks；Lubrizol；BASF&Pepsico；和公共部门组织：Aurora经济发展委员会(AEDC)、纽约州能源研究和发展局(NYSERDA)、科罗拉多州生物科学协会(CBSA)、科罗拉多州药物、设备和诊断开发研究所(CID4)、科罗拉多州经济发展和国际贸易办公室(OEDIT)、科罗拉多州小型企业发展中心(SBDC)和Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners(FBBp)&amp；Fitzsimons再开发局(FRA)(位于科罗拉多州奥罗拉)。

This Partnership for Innovation Project from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-POLY) addresses the need to develop bioplastics that, in addition to being biobased and offering a desirable environmental footprint, will also provide future customers with improved performance characteristics over existing materials. To do so is critical in order to motivate consumers to renounce current petro-derived materials for new-to-the-world bioplastics such as those proposed herein. The strategy pursued by the project team is to utilize bioplastics with the right combination of properties while focusing on engineering the interface or boundaries between these components to optimize material performance. Specifically, selected material components include cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs), poly (omega-hydroxyfatty acids (P (omega-OHFAs)), and poly (lactic acid) (PLA). While P (omeg-OHFAs) provides good hydrolytic stability and physical toughness, the PLA-CNW nanocomposites provide high modulus and improved use temperatures. The knowledge-enhance partner (KEP) small businesses in this project, PolyNew Inc. (engineered CNWs) and SyntheZyme LLC (P(omega-OHFAs) and their blends with PLA), bring together the required technologies to exploit synergies that will result by the judicious combination of materials to provide superior performance 100% biobased bioplastics. The production of omega-OHFAs will be performed by using SyntheZyme's newly engineered yeast strain that provides the first efficient biotechnological route to convert fatty acids to omega-HOFAs. P(omega-HOFAs) have properties similar to medium density polyethylene (PE). However, unlike PE, P(omega-HOFAs) contain ester groups separated by 13 to 17 methylene (CH2) units. Thus, P(omega-HOFAs) provide important PE-like properties such as water resistance and excellent ductility while retaining chemical reactivity so they can be reactive blended with PLA and strengthened by CNWs. PolyNew Inc. and SyntheZyme LLC will work together to develop technologies by which CNWs are functionalized to engineer interactions with blended P(omega-HOFAs) and PLAs. The impressive performance of CNWs derives from their aspect ratio that enables them to reach their percolation threshold (e.g., where long-range connectivity is achieved within the material) at relatively low loadings, resulting in impressive modulus increases. Preliminary work has shown that P (omega-OHFAs)/PLA blends show promising properties that would greatly benefit by incorporation of specifically functionalized CNWs. The broader impacts of this research to society at large are many. The project is consistent with Federal policies supporting greater use of biobased products including the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which is designed to ensure that a sufficiently large base of new, non-food, non-feed biomass crops is established to meet demands for renewable energy and bioproducts. Socially, there are advantages associated with employment in the plastics, forestry and agriculture sectors of the economy--the project strongly supports Green Jobs creation. Reductions in petroleum dependence (even relatively modest ones) are also considered beneficial. Teaching and training will be promoted and considerable outreach activities will be pursued. Previous success in incorporating underrepresented groups (women, Hispanics, and African Americans) in research activities will be continued.Partners at the inception of the project are the Knowledge-Enhancement Partnership (KEP) unit, consisting of NYU-POLY (Brooklyn, NY) and two small businesses partner companies: SyntheZyme LLC (Brooklyn, NY), a small business with private stock holders; and PolyNew Inc. (Golden, CO), a privately held woman-owned small business. Other partners are academic institutional organizations: University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus (CO), Colorado School of Mines (CO), NYU Langone Medical Center (NY), NYU College of Dentistry (NY),Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute (NY), and the Denver School for Science and Technology (DSST) (CO); private sector organizations: Fish & Richardson; Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP; Berenbaum & Weinsheienk; Sealed Air; Dart Packaging; DSM; ADM; NatureWorks; Lubrizol; BASF and Pepsico; and public sector organizations: Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Colorado Bioscience Association (CBSA), Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development (CID4), Colorado Office for Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), Colorado Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), and Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners (FBBp) & Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) (Aurora, CO).