Bio-based PC Resin for Injection Moulding
Opportunity
Renewable materials, such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), are readily available and allow the creation of bio-based Polycarbonate (PC) blends with property profiles close to those of compounds made with virgin raw materials. Bioplastics engineers at the University of Guelph have developed a high performance PC+PLA blend (32% renewable) to compete with PC+ABS blends. The novel formulation (bioPC) includes acrylic core/shell impact modifiers and a number of bio-sourced mineral fillers with high impact strength and heat deflection temperature. The blend is intended for durable applications and inventors are now seeking co-innovation partner(s) for scale-up and applications testing.
Applications
- Enclosures for consumer electronics and business machines
- Instrument housings/components for medical devices
- Components in large and small home appliances
Advantages
- Material costs are 28% lower than standard PC+ABS blends
- Excellent processability allows for faster moulding cycles
- Candidate for thin-walled injection moulding (flow, stiffness, toughness)
Performance
| Blend | Material (US$/lb.) | Density (g/cm3) | Flow (g/10min.) | HDT* (oC) | Toughness (J/m) | Stiffness (Mpa) |
| bioPC | 1.55 | 1.19 | 69 | 133 | 715 | 2749 |
| PC+ABS | 2.16 | 1.11 | 17 | 97 | 510 | 2160 |
| Improvement | -28% | +7% | +306% | +37% | +40% | +27% |
Values for PC+PLA blend collected by the Bioproducts Discovery & Development Centre, University of Guelph. Values for PC+ABS blend obtained from RTP 2099 X 126213 product data sheet for context and illustrative purposes. All values are typical and not to be construed as specifications. HDT* - Heat Deflection Temperature.
Patent Status
Patents pending in the US (15/148,704) and CAN (2,929,129).
License Status
Seeking co-innovation partner and/or licensee.
Contact
Martin Ciuk, mciuk@uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120 x53808