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.
