Performance

Polymers

Performance polymers impact all areas of our lives and are used in a wide range of applications from tyres to contact lenses.

These advanced materials are tuned to achieve a particular performance level often under highly specific conditions such as high temperatures, high pressures or when in contact with the human body. Developing materials which are able to operate under these conditions for extended periods of time is challenging.

Our polymers team have experience in working on patent applications relating to a wide range of advanced performance polymers including bulk polymers, performance rubbers, absorbent polymers and lenses among others. The team also have experience of a large number of different polymer types and processing technologies. We understand that each performance polymer must be honed for a specific application and that innovations in this area are often defined in terms of improvements in physical or chemical performance, which can present its own set of challenges, particularly at the European Patent Office.

We can help you to take advantage of the patent system to protect new polymer compositions and manufacturing methods, as well as their use in a wide range of different applications. We have significant experience in getting applications relating to performance polymers granted at the EPO and UKIPO and also have a strong track record of successfully challenging the IP rights of others in this area.

We also understand that it is important to minimise the impact of performance materials on the environment, this includes developing systems which prevent shedding and compositions which help to extend the working life of products.

Open pages of Green IP Report

Green IP Report

Patents are both a driver and a barometer of innovation

Our report examines the role of patents in making innovative ‘green’ technologies into a reality as well as how the patent landscape can be used to identify opportunities for partnering, collaboration and investment.

We share our enthusiasm and admiration for commercially-focused innovation across a diverse range of technologies, from repurposing carbon dioxide to make protein-rich foods, to the multi-faceted approach to a circular plastics economy. We also discuss the tantalising prospect of AI-mediated renewable energy supply, and the harnessing of battery tech from the EV boom to drive energy efficiency in consumer devices. This report reflects our passion for technology solutions that tackle our shared global challenge.

Read our blogs

Meet the team: Jeremy Webster, Partner, Head of Chemistry

Meet the team: Jeremy Webster, Partner, Head of Chemistry

by Jeremy Webster

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to partner and head of chemistry, Jeremy Webster, about the importance of strong working relationships, taking a strategic approach to oppositions and ...

Alive with Possibilities - The Future of Sustainable Plastics and Beyond

Alive with Possibilities - The Future of Sustainable Plastics and Beyond

by Jane Liu

As the production and consumption of plastics continues to surge, so too has the accumulation of plastic waste.

Mewburn Ellis is delighted to partner with Oxfordshire Greentech on the Climate Solutions Conference

Mewburn Ellis is delighted to partner with Oxfordshire Greentech on the Climate Solutions Conference

by Eleanor Maciver

Mewburn Ellis is delighted to partner with Oxfordshire Greentech on the Climate Solutions Conference on the 13 March at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Sustainable shoes: Fossil Fuels are so last year!

Sustainable shoes: Fossil Fuels are so last year!

by Rebecca Blundell

It is estimated that 24 billion pairs of shoes are made every year. Many of these will contain materials derived from fossil fuels. That foamy-looking sole on your running shoes? That’s likely ...

Hydrogels in sustainable agriculture

Hydrogels in sustainable agriculture

by Sarah Harvey

As we move into 2024, the agricultural sector is being driven by the urgent need to address global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and the demand to feeding a growing global ...

Plastic Packaging Pollution: Kelp is on the Way!

Plastic Packaging Pollution: Kelp is on the Way!

by Thomas Lonsdale

Plastic packaging materials have revolutionised modern life. They have several important properties which make them useful for protecting, storing, and transporting commercially valuable items, such ...

Forward Magazines Overlapping 6-compressed

Mewburn Ellis

FORWARD MAGAZINE

Mewburn Ellis Forward is a biannual publication that celebrates the best of innovation and exploration. Through its pages we hope to inform and entertain, but also to encourage discussion about the most compelling developments taking place in the scientific and entrepreneurial world. Along the way, we’ll engage with the IP challenges that international organisations face every day.