I-Corps: Malleable Green Polymers for Improving Human Performance

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Orthoses are used to assist movement generally by relieving load bearing stress, or restricting movement in a particular direction. The current process of producing a custom-fit orthosis involves taking a mold of a patient's body, then sending the mold to a lab which casts the prosthesis using a high temperature plastic that is then returned to the doctor to be fitted to the patient. It is a time and labor intensive, multi-step process. This keeps adequate care from being accessed by millions of amputees and maimed individuals in developing countries. This team has developed a patent-pending novel type of plastics which enables orthopedic and prosthetic devices to be molded directly onto a patient, thereby resulting in a higher-quality solution delivered to patients in a single office visit. This team has developed the first catalyst-free malleable polyimine which fundamentally behaves like a classic thermoset at ambient conditions yet can be reprocessed by application of either heat or water. The proposed material is mechanically stronger than most materials currently used for orthotic inserts. The material's unique malleability (based on imine-exchange reactions within the polymer network) allows the material to be molded directly onto the human body. Once cooled, the material will remain rigid even at elevated body temperatures. The material can be manufactured in a single step from commercially available monomers, and only requires ethanol as solvent.