The Need

Application of either heat or organic solvents is critical to convert solid materials to fluids. For many applications, particularly biomedical products, high temperature and organic solvents may denature critical biomolecules. Residue of organic solvents may also cause severe contamination. In addition, the application of heat or solvent during micro-and nanoscale processing may not be enough to lower the polymer viscosity and surface tension to accurately fabricate nanoscale features. Development of a process that mitigates these effects is necessary to develop better plastic products.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. L. James Lee, have developed a technique that utilizes carbon dioxide as a processing aid for biodegradable polymers at room temperature and lower pressures to combine polymers and polymer composites.

Commercial Applications

• Transportation
• Corrosion Resistant Equipment
• Construction Materials
• Biomedical Products and Drug Delivery
• Polymer MEMS/NEMS devices

Benefits/Advantages

• Technique applies to other polymers like polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) at various temperatures and pressures
• Capable of bonding polymers and non-polymeric materials using pressurized gas
• Acceptable technique for bonding of biochips/biosensors, drug delivery devices, and any polymer based microelectromechanical systems
• Biodegradable polymers containing biomolecules can be processed or bonded without applying heat or organic solvents
• Maintains dimension integrity during the bonding process, which is critical to processing at the micro- or nanoscale