Technology

Catalysts are the most powerful tools in the chemical engineer’s toolbox for reducing manufacturing time and cost. At the most basic level, Materia’s robust and efficient metathesis catalysts exchange molecular fragments attached to carbon-carbon double bonds (also called “olefins”). This rearrangement provides access to novel structural motifs and enables the efficient synthesis of complex molecules. Because carbon-carbon double bonds are found in diverse renewable as well as petrochemical-based raw materials, our metathesis catalysts have very broad applicability. Application breadth is further enhanced through our catalysts’ employability in standard industrial process equipment.

Using Materia’s metathesis technology, chemicals and materials can be manufactured with fewer steps, reduced byproducts, and a lower carbon footprint. Product examples include waxes made from soybeans rather than petroleum, performance chemicals with greater efficacy for reduced consumption, and pesticide-free pheromones for natural insect population control. As stated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences when awarding the 2005 Nobel Prize, metathesis “presents a great step forward for ‘green chemistry’… [and] is an example of how important basic science has been applied for the benefit of man, society and the environment.”

Materia’s core intellectual property was developed by Professor Robert H. Grubbs at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and exclusively licensed to Materia. We have since built on that strong foundation through the development of our own IP and in-licensing of complementary patents from the University of New Orleans, Boston College, the University of Kansas, and the University of Calgary.