Patent Title: AQUEOUS PEPTIDE-STABILIZED POLYURETHANE DISPERSIONS

 Number/Link: W02016058909

Applicant/Assignee: Henkel; Max Planck Ges.

Publication date: 21-04-2016

“Gist”: An NCO-ended prepolymer is reacted with a peptide mixture in water at correct pH

Why it is interesting: According to this invention a low-VOC, surfactant- free, stable dispersion can be prepared by reacting an isocyanate-ended preopolymer with an aqueous solution of peptides. The prepolymer is prepared from a polyether-, polyester- or PDMS diol and a surplus of (preferably) aliphatic isocyanate. The peptide mixture is obtained by hydrolysis or enzymatic cleaving of naturally occuring proteins and is dispersed in water at a pH well above the highest isoelectric point present in the mixture. This will ensure reaction of the isocyanate with the peptides instead of water.
Polymer-protein hybrids are interesting because they allow for unique properties not attainable with synthetic polymers alone, such as a selective and specific interaction with other biomolecules and a controlled response to external stimuli like pH and temperature.

Example of a tetrapeptide: Val-Gly-Ser-Ala. (Wikipedia)