Asynt has supplied Polymer Mimetics (Liverpool, UK) with a range of synthetic chemistry equipment to exploit novel chemistries to produce a new generation of high performance polymers.
Development of high performance polymers:
Polymer Mimetics is a joint venture between the University of Liverpool, and Scott Bader Company Ltd. building upon a new polymerisation process developed by Professor Steve Rannard from the University’s Department of Chemistry. The technology takes widely available chemical building blocks and, in a highly scalable process, transforms them into superior performance polymeric products with the potential to engineer in degradability.
Dr Paul Findlay, Chief Technology Officer at Polymer Mimetics said
“Since the 1950’s less than 10% of the billions of tons of plastic produced worldwide has been recycled – the rest has been sent to landfill or left in the natural environment. Using our new polymerisation technology, we can produce novel polymers to address some of the issues associated with non-degradable materials currently utilized in the personal care, coatings, composites and specialty adhesives markets”.
He added
“In setting up a laboratory a key factor influencing our choice of supplier was being able to effectively and safely conduct multiple reactions, on one stirrer hotplate, at the same time enhancing the number of candidate polymers that can be synthesised, tested and ultimately improving the development of degradable polymer products. As some of our polymerisation reactions involve viscous solutions, Asynt’s DrySyn Vortex overhead stirrer platform enabled us to efficiently agitate and heat multiple viscous reactions in parallel, under inert atmospheres. We have also appreciated how the efficient heat conductivity of DrySyn heating blocks has aided the efficient preparation of new polymers. From a sustainability and lab safety perspective, using the CondenSyn air condensers for reflux reactions has eliminated high water usage and potential lab flooding issues that come with using standard water condensers”.
For further information on the DrySyn Vortex overhead stirrer for efficient stirring of viscous solutions please visit https://www.asynt.com/product/drysynvortex/. For other chemical synthesis products please visit https://www.asynt.com/products/drysyn-range/ or contact Asynt on +44-1638-781709 / [email protected].
Scott Bader is a global manufacturer of high-performance adhesives, resins, gelcoats and functional polymers. They have committed to becoming a fully sustainable company through their 2036 vision. Polymer Mimetics demonstrates Scott Bader’s commitment to work with technology leaders to develop sustainable new technologies.
Read the press release in full in PDF format here: Speeding Up the Development of Novel High Performance Polymers
Accélération de la création de nouveaux polymères ultraperformants
Beschleunigung der Entwicklung neuartiger abbaubarer Polymere
Acelerando el desarrollo de polímeros nuevos y de alto rendimiento
Update – January 2023
Dr Paul Findlay, Chief Technology Offer at Polymer Mimetics advised us of the following exciting update:
“Utilising Asynt’s Vortex mixer we were able to significantly reduce the time spent synthesising many variants required during our polymer optimisation process. Combining this with the Asynt CondenSyn waterless condenser system enabled a reduced laboratory footprint and complexity to our lab processes. This ultimately culminated in a pilot scale-batch being prepared at our parent company in Wollaston “
You can see the company’s full report via their website here: www.scottbader.com/news/polymer-mimetics-newly-developed-polymer-scaled-up-at-scott-bader-uk/
