The Plastic That Keeps Your Insides Fantastic

• Sherin Skariah
• Ebin Joseph
• Alexander Kubinski
• Eric Adupong

Polymer solids are used for various medical applications, such as catheters and implants. A unique problem emerges when polymer solids are exposed to blood or other bodily fluids for a prolonged period; bacteria and proteins bind to the polymer over time, forming a biofilm on the product. This fouling of the product can lead to medical complications, including infection, foreign body response, and thrombosis. As of 2018, a new polymer with exceptional antifouling properties has been patented by UIC ChE professor Dr. Gang Cheng. These polyurethanes (PUs) have demonstrated in laboratory experiments superior resistance to protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion versus commercially available alternatives. The medical polymer industry is valued at approximately $16 billion and projected to grow 5% annually. Our objective is to scale up the laboratory production of these antifouling PUs to a commercial sized plant for supplying medical device companies. Our PUs are produced from a typical polyol and isocyanide, and a proprietary crosslinker. The crosslinker, intermediate polymer, and PU products are produced on site. The PU products are processed into pellets, which are packaged and sold to medical device companies. Once received by medical device companies, the PU pellets are melted and injection molded into medical devices or medical device components.