STTR Phase I: Metal-Free Production of Olefin Metathesis Polymers and Resins

这个小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目将开发一条无金属路线，生产高性能塑料和复合材料。具体来说，该项目专注于一种基于热固性材料的独特类别，该材料具有高强度重量比和优异的断裂韧性。目前这些材料的生产依赖于金属基试剂和催化剂，这是广泛采用这些材料的一个挑战。这些金属给生产带来了巨大的重复成本，对空气很敏感，并在最终产品中作为污染物存在。这一创新为这种材料提供了第一个无金属的途径。此外，独特的无金属催化剂系统能够生产金属基试剂无法获得的树脂和聚合物原料，并且可能在加工和性能方面提供优势。预计创新的商业影响将是提高材料性能，降低产品成本，扩大（新的）使用领域。到2023年，现有市场估计为5.78亿美元，年增长率为4.9%。这个项目的智力价值是发明和发展了第一个无金属的烯烃复分解聚合物和低聚物的路线。现有技术已经在小范围内证明了使用独特的有机催化剂生产聚合物和树脂原料的能力，这些原料很容易加工成高性能热固性和复合材料。有机催化剂方法与以前所有通过烯烃分解生产材料的方法不同，因此需要验证和优化以实现商业规模。第一阶段的研究目标将包括(1)通过流动反应器技术的设计和实施来扩大规模，(2)热固性原型的机械分析和产品规格表，以及(3)评估用于纤维增强复合材料的新树脂和聚合物。结果应该是有用的商业和学术。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Project will develop a metal-free route to the production of high performance plastics and composites. Specifically, this project focuses on a unique class of materials based upon a thermoset that displays high strength-to-weight ratio and exceptional fracture toughness. A challenge to broader adoption of these materials stems from the current reliance on metal-based reagents and catalysts for their production. The metals impose a significant recurring cost of production, show sensitivity to air, and remain as contaminants in the final products. This innovation provides the first metal-free access to such materials. Additionally, the unique metal-free catalyst system is capable of producing resin and polymer feedstocks that are not available from metal-based reagents, and may offer advantages in processing and performance. The projected commercial impacts of the innovation will be enhanced material performance, lower cost products, and broadened (new) fields of use. The existing market is estimated to be $578M with 4.9% annual growth through 2023.The intellectual merit of this project is the invention and development of the first metal-free route to olefin metathesis polymers and oligomers. Prior art has demonstrated on small scale the ability to use a unique organocatalyst to produce polymer and resin feedstocks that are easily processable into high performance thermosets and composites. The organocatalyst approach is a divergence from all previous methods of producing materials via olefin metathesis and therefore warrants validation and optimization toward commercial scale-up. The Phase I research aims will include (1) scale-up through the design and implementation of flow reactor technologies, (2) mechanical analyses and product specification sheets for thermoset prototypes, and (3) evaluation of new resins and polymers for use in fiber reinforced composite materials. The results should be useful commercially and academically.