image: Cal Poly Chemistry Professor Phil Costanzo (left) and chemistry students Sophia Newcomer and Ryan Donnelly in the lab showcasing their latest D-glue product.
Credit: Nick Wilson
The eco-friendly glue company D-Glue, co-created by a Cal Poly chemistry research team with student involvement in partnership with an East Coast company, has joined an international corporate incubator program as of Dec. 1.
Plug and Play, a global innovation platform that links startups, corporations, investors, universities and government agencies, has over 60 locations across the world, reaching across 25 industries. Plug and Play’s three-month international program matches startups with business investors among its 45 Japanese corporate partners.
D-Glue will partner with Plug and Play Japan Deeptech Program.
The debondable glue is an innovative adhesive designed to be broken apart at lower temperatures, requiring much less energy, while maintaining the integrity of the item and reducing landfill waste. Extreme heat is typically required to separate recyclable materials from glues currently in use, discouraging reclamation and adding to waste and environmental pollution.
The product, invented by Cal Poly chemistry Professor Phil Costanzo in coordination with Massachusetts-based Geisys Ventures, was patented in 2023. The team plans to expand production of D-Glue on a mass scale as a commercial product with the impact of reducing landfill waste.
“At this point, we’re really focusing on pushing our partnerships forward and advancing the scale-up of D-Glue in a variety of ways,” said Kris Stokes, principal scientist at Geisys Ventures.
Costanzo and Stokes will visit Japan from Jan. 13-21, 2025 to participate in Plug and Play’s Startup Showcase. Only 10 to 15 companies from outside of Japan are chosen to enter this round of the showcase. There, they will meet potential business partners and research and development scientists who could help scale and launch D-Glue as a commercial product.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to go meet more potential industry contacts,” Costanzo said. “I think we’re learning quickly that this program has much more of an impact than we thought it did. We really thought about apparel, electronics and energy, and now we’re hearing we have great potential to partner with automotive and construction companies and different types of manufacturing processes.”
Cal Poly students on the research team will continue to be involved in the process, conducting further study and preparing samples of the product to be given out during the showcase.
“This project has taught me how to think independently, analyze data, and propose ways to improve the performance of our materials and experiments,” said chemistry student Ryan Donnelly of Redwood City, California. “I have learned about the interactions between large corporations and smaller development labs and also mentored new students involved with the project and helped them learn about chemistry and work in an industry focused lab.”
Biochemistry major Sophia Newcomer, of Sacramento, California, said: “This research project has taught me how concepts I learn in class can be used to solve real-world problems in innovative ways. I have enjoyed learning from industry partners and gaining insights into how a product moves from research to development.”