Green material, sustainable chemistry and biomass valorization are fundamental aspects of SPECIFIC POLYMERS’ research and development activities. Many industrial and collaborative projects are ongoing to find bio-based alternatives to fossil resources with industrial viability. Our research efforts are mainly dedicated to:

The company’s research activity is aimed at the development of innovative resins that fulfil all of the customer’s requirements in terms of process and final properties (i.e., built-to-specifications resins). Resin development is mainly based on experimental research, but SPECIFIC POLYMERS is moving toward the integration of digital modelling into its material development chain.

Finally, thanks to the diversity of the oils, the epoxy content of the EVOs available in the SPECIFIC POLYMERS brochure (see leaflet enclosed in brochure) varies from 2.5 meq/g to 7.0 meq/g.

100% bio-based materials can be prepared either by UV or hardener-free thermocuring. Corresponding UV-cured materials show a range of glass transition temperatures from -34°C to 36°C, whereas the hardener-free thermocured EVO materials enable glass transition temperatures from -34°C to -6°C. However, by using an appropriate hardener, the glass transition temperature of related thermocured materials can be enhanced from 17°C to 91°C. Thus, a large range of mechanical properties are reachable, offering our customers a wide range of new possibilities for the development of epoxy biobased materials.

SPECIFIC POLYMERS dedicates a significant research effort to innovative cyclocarbonate functional building blocks for the synthesis of non-isocyanate polyurethane (NiPU) polymers or thermoset materials that can conventionally substitute polyurethane (PU) counterparts in various fields. Cyclocarbonate functional (macro) molecules are synthesized from corresponding epoxy by reacting with carbon dioxide (CO₂₎. The possibility of using CO₂, which is a by-product of many industrial processes, as an abundant, non-flammable and non-toxic building block, is promising in term of reducing dependence on fossil fuels in the corresponding process.

The most interesting pathway to synthesize NiPU is the polyaddition in between bifunctional cyclocarbonate and amine building blocks. Compared to the common synthesis of PU, the advantages of NiPU are: (i) a limited use of harmful precursors (neither isocyanate nor phosgene are needed as reactants), and (ii) the precursors (cyclocarbonates and amines) are not sensitive to moisture, which limits the well-known side reactions impacting PU synthesis. Those particular polymer materials have been widely studied and have found applications in a range of fields such as battery electrolytes, enzyme immobilization, adhesives and photopolymerizable coatings. Besides, poly(hydroxyurethane) appears o be an innovative and promising alternative to normal PU for tomorrow’s materials. Below, are some of our cyclocarbonate R&D products.

At SPECIFIC POLYMERS, we aim to develop non-isocyanate polyurethane (NiPU) materials to address sustainability issues, in addition to reducing product toxicity.