L.I.N.K.
Labile Interchain Network Knitting
Biodegradable Plastic Crosslinker
Problem Statement
Bioplastics like PLA and PHA suffer from poor heat resistance, brittleness, and limited mechanical performance compared to conventional plastics. Current crosslinking agents used to improve bioplastic properties are often petroleum-derived and compromise end-of-life biodegradability. A food-grade, bio-based crosslinker could enhance bioplastic performance while preserving compostability certification.
Market Size
$4.2B
Regulatory Drivers
EU Single-Use Plastics Directive 2019/904; EN 13432 compostability standard; ASTM D6400 biodegradable plastics specification; California SB 54 plastic pollution prevention; USDA BioPreferred Program mandatory federal procurement
Enterprise Interest
No enterprise interest recorded yet. Companies can indicate their volume and urgency to help guide research priorities.
Success Criteria
Achieve ≥15% improvement in tensile strength and ≥10°C increase in heat deflection temperature over neat PLA while maintaining >90% biodegradation within 180 days per ASTM D6400 composting protocol
Equipment Needed
Twin-screw extruder (micro-compounder acceptable), injection molder or compression press, universal testing machine (Instron), HDT/Vicat apparatus, composting chamber with temperature/humidity control, analytical balance, Soxhlet extraction setup, chloroform
Existing References
Reference list will be published with protocols.
Protected Research Content
This section contains detailed protocols, proposed mechanisms, experiment designs, and safety information.
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