Biocomposite materials and methods for making the same
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsJay W. Grate, Jungbae Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A particle (and a composition that includes a plurality of the particles) that includes at least one polypeptide molecule and at least one polymer covalently bound to the polypeptide molecule so as to form a polymer shell substantially encompassing the polypeptide molecule, wherein the particle does not define a dimension greater than about 1 μm. One example for making the particle includes modifying the polypeptide molecule to provide α, β-ethylenically unsaturated terminal functional groups, mixing the modified polypeptide molecule with a silicon-containing polymerizable compound, and subjecting the resulting mixture to conditions sufficient for polymerizing the polymerizable compound to form the particle.
Claims20
A method for making a biocomposite material, comprising:
- modifying a polypeptide to provide α, β-ethylenically unsaturated functional terminal groups;
- mixing the modified polypeptide with a polymerizable compound that includes (i) a functional group reactive with the α, β-ethylenically unsaturated functional terminal group of the modified polypeptide, and (ii) a silicon-containing functional group;
- subjecting the resulting mixture to conditions sufficient for forming a product that includes biocomposite particles that comprise the polypeptide and a crosslinked polymer shell produced from the polymerizable compound, wherein the crosslinked polymer shell substantially encompasses the polypeptide and is not crosslinked with any other crosslinked polymer shells present in the mixture;
- and
- isolating a composition from the product, wherein substantially all of the biocomposite particles in the isolated composition each individually do not define a dimension greater than about 1 μm and are not crosslinked together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.