polymerguru

In 2025, Clariant is proud to celebrate a significant milestone: 50 years of Exolit AP flame retardants protecting lives and property around the world. Based on advanced ammonium polyphosphate (APP) technology, these pioneering flame retardants have become the industry benchmark in a wide range of applications, including intumescent coatings, fire barrier sealing systems, thermoset composites for e-mobility battery housings and coatings, rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation foams and more. As Clariant marks this golden anniversary, it is not just celebrating past achievements but actively shaping the future of fire protection. A legacy of innovation: Since producing the first batch of Exolit AP at the Knapsack site in Germany in 1975, the Exolit AP product line has pioneered flame retardant technology. What began as a groundbreaking solution has evolved into a comprehensive portfolio that sets industry standards for performance and reliability. The recent launch of a melamine-free E...

Power Adhesives will be at The Commercial Vehicle Show, the UK’s premier event for road freight, transport, distribution, and logistics, taking place from 29 April to 1 May at the NEC Birmingham. Attendees will have the opportunity to see live demonstrations of the Power Adhesives industry-leading Tecbond spray systems and cordless hot melt applicators, designed to deliver faster, safer, and more cost-effective solutions for commercial vehicle installation, insulation, and fit-out applications. Visitors to the Power Adhesives stand at 5G112 will see live demonstrations of the Tec 7300 spray system, designed for fast and even adhesive application across large areas, and the Tec 3500 corded and Tec 3508 cordless applicators, providing unmatched flexibility and ease of use in vehicle modification environments. Ian Lancey, Sales & Marketing Director at Power Adhesives, said: “We are delighted to be attending the UK Commercial Vehicle Show. Our Tec...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Researchers recycle wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics A new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals resulted in the recovery of high-strength glass fibers and resins that allowed Washington State University researchers to re-purpose the materials to create stronger plastics. The innovation provides a simple and environmentally friendly way to recycle wind turbine blades to create useful products. Reporting in the journal, Resource, Conservation, and Recycling, the team of researchers cut the lightweight material that is commonly used in wind turbine blades, called glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), into approximately two inch-sized blocks. They then soaked the flakes in a bath of low-toxicity organic salt in pressurized, superheated water for about two hours to break down the material. They then re-purposed its components to make stronger plastics. "It works very well, especially considering the mild ...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share New electronic “skin” could enable lightweight night-vision glasses MIT engineers have developed a technique to grow and peel ultrathin “skins” of electronic material. The method could pave the way for new classes of electronic devices, such as ultrathin wearable sensors, flexible transistors and computing elements, and highly sensitive and compact imaging devices.  As a demonstration, the team fabricated a thin membrane of pyroelectric material — a class of heat-sensing material that produces an electric current in response to changes in temperature. The thinner the pyroelectric material, the better it is at sensing subtle thermal variations. With their new method, the team fabricated the thinnest pyroelectric membrane yet, measuring 10 nanometers thick, and demonstrated that the film is highly sensitive to heat and radiation across the far-infrared spectrum. The newly developed film could enable lighter, more portable, and highly accurate far-infrared (IR)...

The agreement marks a significant milestone in the partnership between Sinopec and Syensqo, which aims to explore business development opportunities and application development in various sectors, including commercial aerospace, transportation, energy, electronics and industrial fields to empower innovation for sustainable solutions. The collaboration will focus on #carbonfibre and #composites , specialty polymers and material solutions for commercial aerospace, transportation, and #energy sectors and will explore opportunities in supply chain management and sustainability, including the use of circular chemicals and reducing carbon footprint. The 2 companies will also explore business cooperation in emerging markets such as South America and Asia. Dr. Zhao Dong, vice chairman & president of Sinopec, stated, “ #Sinopec has always adhered to the philosophy of open cooperation. This collaboration with #Syensqo is a crucial step to deepen synergy in the global energy and chemical ...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Fraunhofer EMI: Innovative recycling method for carbon fibre Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI have developed a technology that makes it possible to reclaim continuous carbon fibres from composite materials without diminishing material quality. High-power lasers are used for local degradation of the matrix of multi-layered fibre-reinforced plastics at high temperatures. This method offers not only ecological benefits but also considerable economic potential. Carbon fibre composites are exceptionally strong and lightweight, making them preferred materials in many industries. But the disposal and recycling of these high-performance materials pose significant challenges. The research team at Fraunhofer EMI has now developed a process in which fibres from used composites are efficiently prepared for reuse  without adversely affecting their mechanical properties. Current recycling methods for fibre-reinfo...

In the quest to design the next generation of materials for modern devices – ones that are lightweight, flexible and excellent at dissipating heat– a team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst made a discovery: imperfection has its upsides.  This research, published in Science Advances, experimentally and theoretically found that polymers (commonly referred to as plastics) made with thermally #conductivefillers containing defects performed 160% better than those with perfect fillers. This counterintuitive finding challenges long-held assumptions that defects compromise material performance. The study was led by #UMassAmherst with collaborators from #MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology , #NorthCarolinaStateUniversity , #StanfordUniversity , #OakRidgeNationalLaboratory , #ArgonneNationalLaboratoryandRiceUniversity . Polymers have revolutionized modern devices with their unmatched lightness, electrical insulation, flexibility and ease of processing qualit...