Jessica E Robbins

US Patent:

20140242623, Aug 28, 2014

Filed:

May 10, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/104553

Inventors:

Scott T. Phillips - State College PA, US
Wanji Seo - State College PA, US
Jessica Robbins - State College PA, US
Michael Olah - State College PA, US
Kyle Schmid - Riverside PA, US
Anthony Michael DiLauro - Warwick RI, US

International Classification:

C08G 6/00
C08F 12/08
C08G 63/91
C08F 26/06
C12Q 1/34
C08F 20/56
C09D 161/02
C09J 161/02
G01N 31/22
C08F 20/10
C08F 20/44

US Classification:

435 18, 525472, 5253303, 5253333, 525418, 5253301, 5253271, 5253291, 5253294, 5253267, 525 542, 525 541, 524593, 436 85

Abstract:

We disclose methods and compositions for preparation of stimuli-responsive plastics that are capable of responding to chemical and/or physical signals in their environment. In one embodiment the plastics consist of patterned mixtures of poly(phthalaldehyde) polymers in which each polymer contains a different end-capping group (also called a “trigger”), responsive to a different signal. Other embodiments use different polymers and different triggers. The plastics may be homogeneous in composition, but each polymer within the plastic is capable of responding to a different signal and depolymerizing once this signal reacts with the trigger. This process of depolymerization enables the plastic to alter its physical features non-linearly to external signals: i.e., the degree of change in physical form is much larger than the intensity of the initial signal.