Asahi Kasei presents diversified material solutions for EV batteries and circular economy

Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei will showcase diversified material solutions for safe and compact EV batteries, improved connectivity and lightweighting, as well as circular economy at Fakuma, an event for industrial plastics processing, from 17 – 21 October 2023 in Frie-drichshafen, Germany.     

Thermoplastic composites for EV battery applications:

This year, Asahi Kasei will put a special focus on its broad range of materials for lightweight, compact, and safe electric vehicle battery solutions. The company is currently developing a new continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic, LENCEN™, and will present it for the first time at the European trade show #Fakuma. This composite material is formed by stacking layers of continuous glass fiber textiles with #polyamide66 (PA66) films. Due to its tensile strength, high heat resistance, and impact properties similar to metal, this material improves collision safety and weight reduction of EV batteries.

In addition, the company will showcase a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic unidirectional tape (CFRTP-UD tape) that utilizes both recycled continuous carbon fiber and the company’s LEONA™ polyamide resin. Boasting a higher strength than metal, this CFRTP-UD tape can be applied to automobile frames and bodies, further enabling the recycling of end-of-vehicle-life parts into different, new automobile parts.

Asahi Kasei will also showcase #coolingpipes for #EVbattery packs made of the modified #polyphenyleneether (m-PPE) XYRON™, as well as 2170 cell trays based on the m-PPE particle foam SunForce™.

Solutions for improved HMI and glass replacement

AZP™ is a #transparent polymer that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional optical plastic materials. Featuring a close-to-zero #birefringence equivalent to glass as well as a superior designability, this material allows high transmittance and low color distortions at all viewing angles. Clear images without luminance variations, color distortion and blurring can be achieved in polarized optical equipment such as AR/VR headsets and head-up-displays (HUDs). The premium quality appearance is also maintained when looking at the display through polarized #sunglasses.

Bio-based feedstock and new recycling technology for PA66

#AsahiKasei will display a #biobased and #biodegradable #cellulosenanofiber (CNF). This material is made from #cotton linter and features a high heat resistance and network-forming ability. CNF-reinforced polyamide shows a thixotropic behavior, making it highly suitable for #3dprinting applications in terms of easy printing, dimensional accuracy, smooth appearance, and mechanical performance. Furthermore, CNF has superior material recyclability compared to glass fibers.

Cleaning the equipment after processing the plastics in an efficient and cost-effective manner is a major challenge for many companies. Asaclean™ is the worldwide leader in commercial purging compounds. Asaclean™ purges are optimized for injection molding, extrusion, film and sheet, blow-molding, and blown-film applications. Its benefits include faster changeovers/reduced downtime, effective removal of color/carbon contamination, reduced screw-pulls, lower scrap/reject rate, increased productivity, and greater cost savings.

The company will also present its comprehensive solutions for establishing a sustainable life cycle for PA66 utilizing bio-based feedstock and a new technology for chemical recycling. Together with Japanese partner company Microwave Chemical, the company is working on a new technology for chemical recycling of PA66. The process utilizes microwaves to depolymerize automotive airbags and
other PA66 parts and directly obtain the monomers hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA), which is expected to be accomplished at high yield with low energy consumption. The monomers obtained can then be used to manufacture new PA66.

Source:Asahi Kasei/jeccomposites

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Global Emissions

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The global energy crisis fueled fears of runaway growth in the world’s CO2 emissions – but new IEA analysis shows emissions rose by less than 1% in 2022 as a surge in clean energy offset most of the increase in emissions from coal & oil.

The rise in global CO2 emissions in 2022 would have been nearly 3 times as high if it wasn't for the strong growth of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps & energy efficiency. Together, they prevented 550 million tonnes of emissions.

CO2 emissions from coal grew by 1.6% in 2022, more than offsetting the decline in emissions from natural gas amid the energy crisis. Oil's emissions were up 2.5%, a sharper rise than coal's, mainly driven by the rebound in air travel. But they still remain below their 2019 high.

While rising emissions from fossil fuels undermine efforts to meet the world’s climate goals, many fossil fuel companies made record profits in 2022. Given their public pledges, it’s vital that they review their strategies to ensure they’re aligned with real emissions reductions.

The new @International Energy Agency report on CO2 emissions in 2022 is the first in our new series on the Global Energy Transitions Stocktake, which brings our latest analysis together in one place to support the first Global Stocktake in the lead-up to #COP28.

Source:IEA

And learn more about the Global Energy Transitions Stocktake: https://iea.li/3y2JHc3

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China’s Changsheng to mass produce T1000 grade carbon fiber:

The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation hosted a scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting in Beijing. At the end of the event, the “ultra-high-strength ZA60XC (T1000 grade) #PANcarbonfiber thousand-ton industrial production technology” completed by #Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd. (Changsheng Technology) and Shenzhen University through collaborative technical research successfully passed the appraisal of scientific and technological achievements.

According to Changsheng Technology, this indicates that China’s ultra-high-strength carbon fiber production technology and production capacity have reached an advanced level.

The appraisal meeting committee included academicians Du Shanyi and Jiang Shicheng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Tian Tiebing, general manager of AVIC Composites, Professor Wang Rongguo of Harbin Institute of Technology, Professor Liu Jie of Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and Professor Li Min of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and researcher Han Zhenying of the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Industry. Chang Junsheng, managing director of CITIC Securities, Ma Shuangchi, investment director of Gold Stone Investment, were also among the participants of the appraisal meeting.

During the meeting, the appraisal committee listened to the work report and technical report made by the project completion unit, watched the live broadcast video of the production site, and reviewed relevant materials. According to #Changsheng Technology, the appraisal committee believes that the ultra-high-strength ZA60XC (T1000 grade) PAN carbon fiber kiloton industrial stable production technology fills the domestic gap. The product index is equivalent to the #T1000 grade carbon fiber of Japan’s #Toray, and some indexes are better than Toray’s products.Among them, the precursor structure design ranks in the international leading position and it is unanimously agreed to pass the appraisal.

ZA60XC carbon fiber is a new product independently developed by Changsheng Technology after three stages from 2019 to 2023. With its superior performance, this product can drive the continuous upgrading of the Chinese #carbonfiber industry and promote the rapid development of advanced weapons and equipment, #aerospace, #highendsports products and other fields, and gradually realize the localization of high-performance carbon fiber.

Source:www.csstgroup.com/jeccomposites

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New Molecule that Helps Polymers Adapt to Temperature Variations

Sandia materials scientist Erica Redline and her team have developed a molecule that helps change the way polymers react to #temperature fluctuations, which would make them more durable. This application could be used in everything from plastic phone cases to missiles.

Polymers, which include various forms of plastics, are made up of many smaller molecules, bonded together. This bond makes them especially strong and an ideal product to be used to protect delicate components in a wide variety of items. But with time, use and exposure to different environments, all materials begin to deteriorate.

Solving the Problem of Thermal Expansion & Contraction:

One of the biggest factors in materials deterioration is repeated exposure from hot to cold temperatures and back. Most materials expand when heated and contract when cooled, but each material has its own rate of change. Polymers, for example, expand and contract the most. Metals and ceramics contract the least. This can create a problem when combining these materials.

Erica said most items are made up of more than one kind of material. “Take, for example, your phone, which has a #plastichousing, coupled to a #glass screen, and inside that, the #metals and #ceramics that make up the circuitry. These materials are all screwed, glued or somehow bonded together and will start expanding and contracting at different rates, putting stresses on one another which can cause them to crack or warp over time.”

Erica kept hearing the same complaint from many of Sandia’s customers. “They’re always talking about #thermalexpansion mismatch problems and how their existing systems are hard to work with because of all the filler they need to add to compensate.” With that, Erica’s idea was born. “I thought, what if I conjured up a perfect material? What would that look like?” Erica and her team believe they have done it.

The team modified a molecule so that it can easily be incorporated into a polymer to change its properties. “This really is a unique molecule that when you heat it up, instead of it expanding, it actually contracts by undergoing a change in its shape. When it’s added to a polymer, it causes that polymer to contract less, hitting #expansion and #contraction values similar to #metals. To have a molecule that behaves like metal is pretty remarkable,” Erica said.

This #molecule could be used in endless ways. #Polymers are used as protective coatings in electronics, communications systems, #solarpanels, automotive components, printed circuit boards, aerospace applications, defense systems, flooring and more.

Can be Incorporated into Different Parts of a Polymer at Different Percentages

“The molecule not only solves current issues but significantly opens up design space for more innovations in the future,” said Sandia chemical engineer Jason Dugger, who has been looking at potential applications, especially in defense systems.

“You could print a structure with certain thermal behaviors in one area, and other thermal behaviors in another to match the materials in different parts of the item,” Jason said. Another benefit is helping reduce the weight of materials by eliminating heavy fillers. “It would enable us to do things much lighter to save mass. That is especially important when launching a satellite, for example. Every gram we can save is huge,” Jason said.

Another key to this invention is that it can be incorporated into different parts of a polymer at different percentages, such as 3D printing. Erica said she has also been approached by an epoxy formulator who believes this molecule could be incorporated into adhesives.

The team has only created this molecule in very small quantities, but they are working to scale production so that Sandians can test the molecule to fit mission needs. Sandia organic chemist Chad Staiger is the man who makes the molecule. It takes him about 10 days to make between 7-10 grams. “It’s unfortunately a long synthesis for this molecule. More steps equal more time and more money. You usually see five- to six-step syntheses in higher value materials such as pharmaceuticals. In polymers, the cheaper the better for wide scale adoption,” he said.

The team is working to reduce the steps using funding through Sandia’s technology maturation program, which helps prepare products for the marketplace. “My role is to see if there is an easier way to make it at a commercial level,” postdoc Eric Nagel said. “There is nothing like it out there. I am really excited at the possibilities of what this technology can do and the applications that could be associated with this. It’s pretty phenomenal and pretty wide open.”

Source: Sandia National Laboratories/omnexus-specialchem

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:OsteoFab 3D printed PEKK

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

OsteoFab 3D printed PEKK allows you to modify the device. It is also handy that OsteoFab is mechanically like bone, antibacterial, radiolucent and osteoconductive.

 Antibacterial Properties of OsteoFab® PEKK In 2017, a study was initiated to examine the antibacterial potential of OsteoFab PEKK due to its material chemistry and inherent rough surface (26 µm average Rq). The results showed that OsteoFab PEKK provides an inherent, antibacterial environment and demonstrated decreased bacterial adhesion and growth when compared to PEEK (Invibio PEEK-OPTIMA®).12 In this study, OsteoFab PEKK showed a 40-55% higher antibacterial effect when examined using a Live/Dead assay, just on the native surface of printed PEKK.

Culminating in a publication in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, these results highlight the unique properties attainable when the right material and manufacturing method are combined to produce more robust medical devices. In order to better understand the mechanisms of this observed antibacterial property, a follow-up study was initiated in 2020 to extend the results of the 2017 publication. The follow-up study showed a greater adsorption of the proteins casein, mucin, and lubricin to OsteoFab PEKK when compared to PEEK (Invibio PEEK-OPTIMA®) and titanium surfaces.13 This finding is important because the proteins tested are endogenous and known to decrease bacterial attachment and growth.

With the greater adsorption of these proteins, attributed to the similarity in surface energy between them and PEKK, there was a clear correlation of this increased adsorption to significantly decreased bacterial colonization on OsteoFab PEKK compared to PEEK and titanium. This result was consistent across all bacteria tested, which included S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA. The Live/Dead assay results also illustrated fewer viable bacterial colonies on PEKK when compared to PEEK and titanium surfaces, which was consistent with the study published in 2017. 

Source:OXFORD PERFORMANCE MATERIALS, INC.

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#3dprinting #footandankle #orthopedicsurgery #healthcare #orthopedic #plastics #peek #osteofab #biomedical3dp #antibacterial #mrsa #aeruginosa

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Failure due to delamination in injection molded parts

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Have you ever observed failure due to delamination in injection molded parts ?

The very high shear at the boundary of the frozen skin can indeed trigger some localized weakness. In HDPE for instance, extended chain crystallization ("shish-kebab") due to flow induced crystallization in the frozen skin can compromise the degree of entanglement between the frozen skin and the core section. As a result, it is very easy to peel-off the (much stiffer) skin, something that shows up dramatically in higher Mw grades, when parts fail in impact. It is also very common to observe any low molecular tail or actual added lubricants migrate out inside of the skin due to hydrodynamic forces (see image, problem happens on both sides of course).

Such an accumulation of "plasticizer" or lubricant expelled by the high shear stress can also trigger delamination failure. Higher mold temperature and more gentle filling conditions can often improve the situation.

Source:Vito Leo

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#plastics #injectionmolding #mold #delamination #hdpe