Molecular Healing of Polymeric Materials, Coatings, Plastics, Elastomers, Composites, Laminates, Adhesives, and Sealants by Active Enzymes

Reactive Surfaces, Ltd. (Austin, TX) filed U.S. Patent Application 20100210745 which describes a process for molecular healing of polymeric materials, coatings, plastics, elastomers, composites, laminates, adhesives, and sealants by active enzymes.  

Through careful bioengineering, Reactive Surfaces develops additives for paints and coatings to enhance their functionality.They are developing products that protect surfaces against algae, mold, bacteria, odors and even viruses on a variety of surfaces, including those found in homes, hospitals and schools. It also adds functionality like self-degreasing, self-healing properties to surfaces.

Inventors C. Steven McDaniel,  Melinda E. Wales, James Rawlins, Pirro Cipi, Eric Williams and Juan Carlo Carvajal, in the 350 page application,  disclose polymeric materials such as a coating, a plastic, a laminate, a composite, an elastomer, an adhesive, or a sealant; a surface treatment such as a textile finish or a wax; as well as a filler for such a polymeric material or a surface treatment that includes an enzyme such as an esterase (e.g., a lipolytic enzyme, a sulfuric ester hydrolase, an organophosphorus compound degradation enzyme), an enzyme (e.g., a lysozyme, a lytic transglycosylase) that degrades a cell wall and/or a cell membrane component, a biocidal or biostatic peotide, and/or a peptidase.

Also disclosed are methods of altering a material's property such as service life, flexability, or rigidity, by incorporation of an enzyme into a material capable of being chemically crosslinked by the activity of a lipolytic enzyme, a hydrolase, and/or a urease.

The compositions include thermoplastic polymeric material, a thermoset polymeric material, an elastomer, a foamed solid polymeric material, a reinforced polymeric material, a composite, a laminate, an engineering polymeric material; a high-performance polymeric material, a honeycomb, a coated fabric, a polymeric fiber, an adhesive, a sealant, a wax, a textile finish, a filler, a coating, or combinations  

The coatings include an architectural coating, an automotive coating, a can coating, a sealant coating, a chemical agent resistant coating, a camouflage coating, a pipeline coating, a traffic marker coating, an aircraft coating, a nuclear power plant coating, or combinations.

The composition comprises an active enzyme and a substrate of the active enzyme, wherein the active enzyme comprises an esterase, a hydrolase, a urease, or a combination thereof; wherein the substrate of the active enzyme comprises a monomer, a polymer, a crosslinking agent, an anti-crosslinking agent, a coupling agent, or combinations.

The active enzyme catalyzes a chemical reaction on the substrate of the active enzyme that alters a property of the composition; wherein the property of the composition that is altered comprises glass transition temperature, brittleness, flexibility, scrub resistance, toughness, impact resistance, color retention, self cleaning, gloss, solvent resistance, service life, adhesion, or combinations.

 In some embodiments, upon damage to the composition that alters the property of the composition, the active enzyme at least partly repairs the damage by the chemical reaction on the substrate of the active enzyme.