I wrote a reply that I realized was more technical than I anticipated. I started over and will attempt an explanation that glosses over many of the finer details, but hopefully will give you enough information. If not, feel free to reply here or message me. I will attempt to clarify and am also open to discussing this over the phone or skype.
With polyurethane you can think of two blocks repeating over and over, or as a block unit that is bridged by a linker.
Polyurethane typically has a block that can be modified linked by a functional group called a carbamate. The synthesis of the carbamate linker is where isocyanates have been heavily relied upon. A relatively simple reaction transforms the isocyanate into the carbamate while linking the two pieces together. If you have isocyanates on both sides of the one block, it is easy to imagine a chain (polymer) forming.
HCTI has realized a way to form these carbamate functionalities or a molecule that is one atom off using a different reactive starting material. (I say perhaps one atom off, because the starting materials and methods described could yield two products at a glance and with the nature of this, the exact chemical structure is not provided to protect intellectual property) Their process appears to be photoinduced which means the reaction is initiated by light. Previous work has required an additional chemical component to be added to start the reaction.
Dow appears to start with a carbamate polymer or many of the blocks previously mentioned linked together without the bridge, and then they insert the bridges.
At the end of the day, the carbamate functional group is not a terribly complex molecule. There are several ways that one could imagine getting to the ultimate product. An analogy here could be 5 different families that live in different places all decide to shop at the same store. They start in different places and take different routes, but ultimately have the same goal and end up in the same place.
This does not speak to the cost, scalability, or feasibility of a particular synthetic route, but just aims to show that there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing.
In briefly looking over methods since investing here I have come across a few different routes. Some are more clever than others. I think HCTI has checked a few boxes in their pursuits. First, the obvious, there are no isocyanates. Second, the materials are solids and prevent the use of volatile solvents. If you've ever used paint thinner you know how terrible they can be. I should mention that obtaining a homogeneous mixture is necessary to ensure that everything reacts and solvents promote that. I'm sure HCTI has looked at and most likely solved a way to properly mix the solids. Last, they are using plant based materials. These may be synthesized in a lab or they may be collected from plant material and processed. I'm not sure, but when you can show that a material can be collected in this manner, people believe that it is inherently good.
I realize that this is a wall of text. I hope it has been somewhat informational. Again, if anyone would like clarification on anything, just let me know.
AI
