Japan’s Mitsubishi develops bio-based polycarbonate

Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation said it has developed a bio-based polycarbonate resin.

The comonomer of DURABIO, a transparent bioengineering plastic developed by Mitsubishi Chemical, uses isosorbide as a raw material instead of traditional bisphenol A. Isosorbide is extracted from glucose and is a widely used biological raw material.

A raw material giant in Tokyo claims that Durabio is non-biodegradable and has excellent durability, making it suitable for a range of engineering applications. Compared with traditional PC resins, the main features of this product include: high transparency, excellent optical properties and high wear resistance. Mitsubishi Chemical claims that Durabio's optical properties and impact resistance are superior to traditional PC resins.

Mitsubishi focuses on the fields of optics and energy, electronic instruments, automobiles, and decoration, which are the potential development and application fields of Durabio.

The company also claims that the excellent optical performance of Durabio is due to its raw material isosorbide. Unlike traditional BPA (bisphenol A), isosorbide is an aliphatic chemical. In addition to high transparency and optical uniformity, the polycarbonate resin only slightly yellows when exposed to light. Its transparency makes it easy to stain, even with darker shades and metallic effect paints.