	US 12,281,208 B2
	Bioactive plastics with programmable degradation and microplastic elimination
Ting Xu, Berkeley, CA (US); Christopher DelRe, Berkeley, CA (US); and Junpyo Kwon, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed by The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/844,026.
Application 17/844,026 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2021/012108, filed on Jan. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/957,307, filed on Jan. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0340731 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. C12P 17/08 (2006.01); C08J 11/10 (2006.01); C08L 67/04 (2006.01)

CPC C08J 11/105 (2013.01) [C08L 67/04 (2013.01); C12P 17/08 (2013.01); C08J 2367/04 (2013.01)]

19 Claims

1. A bioactive plastic composition comprising an organic polymer and a nanoscopic dispersion of complexes of random heteropolymers and an enzyme that hydrolyzes the polymer, such that hydrolysis of the polymer by the enzyme imparts depolymerization and microplastic elimination, wherein the complexes are uniformly distributed within the composition, the complexes range in size from 10 nm to 500 nm, wherein the size of the complexes is the hydrodynamic diameter of the complexes, the composition comprises 0.001 to 5 wt % enzyme content, and wherein the random heteropolymers comprise varying ratios of a plurality of monomers selected from methyl methacrylate (MMA), oligo (ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA), 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (3-SPMA) and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (2-EHMA) wherein polymer/enzyme combinations are selected from selected from polycaprolactone/lipase, polylactic acid/proteinase K, and polyethylene terephthalate/PETase.