Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Dielectric Constant vs. Shielding

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share 

Dielectric Constant vs. Shielding: The hidden physics behind EMI protection!

In the race to develop the next generation of EMI shielding materials, we often focus on conductivity as the key factor. But what happens when a material has poor conductivity yet a high dielectric constant (εr)? 

📡 The Impact on Shielding:

⚡ Low Conductivity → Weak Reflection

Metals shield via reflection, but if a material lacks conductivity, it won’t create a strong impedance mismatch. Instead of bouncing waves back, it lets them pass through!

🔥 High Dielectric Constant → Potential Absorption

A high εr means the material stores more electric field energy. If it also has high dielectric loss (tan δ), this stored energy is converted into heat—enhancing absorption-based shielding (like radar-absorbing materials).

🛠 Optimizing for EMI Shielding:

✅ Add non-metal conductive fillers (Graphene Nanoplatelets, CBs, CNTs) to improve reflection & absorption.

✅ Use foamed or layered structures to create multiple internal reflections.

✅ Introduce magnetic fillers (Fe₃O₄, Ni, ferrites) to leverage magnetic losses.

At Graphenest - Advanced Nanotechnology, we fine-tune the balance between conductivity, dielectric properties, and structure to create high-performance shielding solutions for e-mobility, advanced electronics, and energy storage.

source:Bruno Reis Figueiredo

#EMIShielding #Graphene

NatureWorks launches platform technology for faster composting PLA grades

NatureWorks has expanded its Ingeo biopolymer product line with the launch of the Ingeo Extend platform, enhancing the material’s performance and application range.

According to the company, its Ingeo Extend platform is a new advancement in its biopolymer portfolio designed to accelerate biodegradation and disintegration while enhancing productivity for commercial-scale applications of biobased Ingeo PLA.

The new Ingeo Extend grades offer up to eight times faster compostability than existing PLA formulations and can be blended with other Ingeo PLA grades to improve biodegradation and disintegration rates.

PLA polymer

The first grade in the platform, Ingeo Extend 4950D, is a PLA polymer engineered to boost the production efficiency of biaxially oriented polylactic acid (BOPLA) films while lowering manufacturing costs. It enables a stretch ratio of up to seven times in the transverse direction and can be used with other Ingeo PLA grades to optimize film production on equipment typically designed for biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP).

Oriented film producers and brand owners can leverage Ingeo Extend 4950D to reduce BOPLA production costs. Additionally, biaxial films incorporating this material degrade more rapidly than unmodified Ingeo PLA, depending on the blend ratio. The polymer enhances sealing performance, particularly in coextruded film structures where it is used in sealing layers at up to 15%. Films made with Ingeo Extend 4950D offer high heat resistance (130–140°C), excellent clarity, and strong mechanical properties, including low shrinkage.

Roger Tambay, chief growth officer for NatureWorks, said brand owners and film producers often request lower cost biaxial films for compostable food packaging, and Ingeo Extend 4950D biaxial films are ideal to replace small-format food packaging made from polymers such as polypropylene.

“These packages are difficult to recycle due to challenges in sortation, or the inaccessibility of end-use markets for recyclates,” Tambay said. “Naturally, small-format packaging films are a better fit for composting, not recycling, and this new platform and the Ingeo Extend 4950D grade, we can meet this demand beyond niche applications or a single product line, achieving production at a scale that makes replacing fossil-based persistent plastics with compostable bio-based materials more feasible than ever.”

Extended producer responsibility legislation

According to the company, the rise of extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation in the US and the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has intensified demand for compostable flexible films and food packaging to meet diversion targets. The company noted its Ingeo Extend platform aims to expand the production of cost-effective, high-performance compostable packaging for hard-to-recycle items with food residue, such as condiment packets, snack and candy wrappers, salad bags, and lidding for creamer containers, coffee pods, and sauce cups.

Moreover, the company noted compostable packaging plays a role in diverting food waste from landfills, reducing environmental impact. By replacing fossil-based plastics, the company said its biopolymers lower the carbon footprint of packaging by an average of 73%. Additionally, food waste in landfills is the third-largest source of methane emissions globally. It also noted that diverting these scraps to composting facilities mitigates methane release while producing nutrient-rich soil amendments that improve soil structure and enable carbon sequestration.

Further supporting its environmental benefits, the company pointed to a study by Hydra Marine Sciences it said confirms that Ingeo PLA does not contribute to persistent microplastic pollution in the environment

source:plasticstoday.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : The Future of HEXCEL Carbon Fiber

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The Future of Carbon Fiber:

Manufacturers including Hexcel continue to innovate and build product portfolios based on carbon fiber production. Carbon fibers are now available across the full range of performance from standard modulus fibers (33 Msi), intermediate modulus fibers (42 Msi) and high modulus fibers (>50 Msi), with a range of tensile strengths from 500 ksi to > 1000 ksi. Carbon fibers are also available in a range of tow sizes (the number of filaments in the yarn bundle), ranging from 1K filaments to 320K filaments.

Composite parts producers now have a wide range of carbon fiber performance and product forms from which to choose. Advanced composite part manufacturing has matured in recent years, moving from hand layup of carbon prepregs to a number of automated and rapid production processes. The cost of manufacturing carbon fibers has declined over the years as the development of cost-effective manufacturing techniques for carbon composites has increased, leading to the broad adoption of advanced composites.

As the use of carbon fiber composites grows, the industry must focus on end-of-life technologies for composites. Economic recycling, reclamation and reprocessing techniques are showing great promise for carbon fiber. Methods now exist to separate the carbon fiber from the matrix with little degradation and to repurpose them into a wide variety of applications. Continued advancement in composite recycling will be essential to ensure continued competitiveness with traditional metals and plastics going forward.

Hexcel is proud to have been an important part of the early development and commercialization of carbon fibers. We also have technologies, products and value-added processes for carbon fiber including weaving, non-crimp fabrics, prepregs, and additive manufacturing materials. We have manufacturing scale and installed capacity to meet the needs of the industry going forward. And we will continue to be an industry leader in carbon fibers with a broad product portfolio and an unrivaled range of product offerings that deliver excellent performance across many aerospace and industrial applications.

source:Hexcel

France hits hydrogen jackpot: World’s largest reserve valued $92 billion found

This discovery positions France to lead the charge in hydrogen production, boosting local economies

cientists in France have made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform clean energy production. Beneath the soil of Folschviller, in the Moselle region, researchers have uncovered an astonishing 46 million tons of natural hydrogen.

This unexpected find has the potential to reshape global energy strategies by providing a new source of carbon-free fuel.

The discovery was made by scientists from the GeoRessources laboratory and the CNRS while they were searching for methane. Instead, at a depth of 4,101 feet (1,250 meters), they found an enormous deposit of white hydrogen.

This form of hydrogen is naturally occurring and does not require industrial production, unlike green hydrogen, which is made using renewable energy, or gray hydrogen, which is derived from fossil fuels.

To put this discovery into perspective, the newly found deposit represents more than half of the world’s annual gray hydrogen production—but without the environmental costs. If extracted efficiently, this resource could provide a clean, low-cost energy solution that eliminates CO₂ emissions entirely. Media reports estimate the discovery’s value to be approximately $92 billion.

White hydrogen: A game-changer for clean energy:

For years, the hydrogen industry has faced two major challenges: the high cost of producing green hydrogen and the pollution caused by gray hydrogen. White hydrogen offers a solution to both problems. Since it already exists underground, it does not require energy-intensive processes like electrolysis, nor does it rely on fossil fuels.

If similar hydrogen deposits exist elsewhere, this could signal the beginning of a major shift in energy production worldwide. Countries that previously depended on expensive hydrogen production technologies may suddenly find themselves with a natural supply of this clean fuel.

source:Hydrogen Central

Machine learning enables customized plastics that could reduce environmental impact

About 100 million metric tons of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the world’s most commonly used plastics, are produced annually, using more than 15 times the energy needed to power New York City for a year and adding enormous amounts of plastic waste to landfills and oceans.

Cornell chemistry researchers have found ways to reduce the environmental impact of this ubiquitous polymer found in milk jugs, shampoo bottles, playground equipment and many other things by developing a machine-learning model that enables manufacturers to customize and improve HDPE materials, decreasing the amount of material needed for various applications. It can also be used to boost the quality of recycled HDPE to rival new, making recycling a more practical process.

“Implementation of this approach will facilitate the design of next-generation commodity materials and enable more efficient polymer recycling, lowering the overall impact of HDPE on the environment,” said Robert DiStasio Jr., associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

source: Cornell University/ Lifeboat Foundation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Mantis Shrimp Pack a Punch With the Force of a Bullet

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Mantis Shrimp Pack a Punch With the Force of a Bullet and They Don’t Get Hurt.

Mantis shrimp are powerful little crustaceans: With a single, strong punch, they can smash a shell with the force of a .22 caliber bullet, unleash a shockwave and even crack aquarium glass—all without hurting themselves.

Now, scientists have discovered how the colorful invertebrates use the power of physics as a shield. Their punching fist, called a dactyl club, has a protective structure with multiple layers that the team says might one day inspire impact-resistant gear for humans. Their findings were published in the journal Science last week.

“To repeatedly execute these high-impact strikes, the mantis shrimp’s dactyl club must have a robust protection mechanism to prevent self-damage,” explains Horacio Espinosa, an engineer at Northwestern University who co-led the study, in a statement. We found it uses phononic mechanisms structures that selectively filter stress waves.This enables the shrimp to preserve its striking ability over multiple impacts and prevent soft tissue damage.

The team of researchers tested a hypothesis that the peacock mantis shrimp’s resilience comes from the structure of its dactyl clubs. The outer part of the club is covered in layers of mineralized fibers that form a V-shaped herringbone pattern, giving it resistance. Underneath, corkscrew like bundles of fibers form what’s called a Bouligand structure, where the fibers fan out in different directions.

In 2015, researchers proposed that the Bouligand structure in the lower layer could filter out certain high-frequency shockwaves from the punch, preventing the damaging vibrations from traveling back into the mantis shrimp’s body. But scientists hadn’t proven it in the lab.It was mostly theoretical calculations.

So, the Northwestern researchers conducted various experiments to confirm the idea. They used lasers to analyze how stress waves travel through the mantis shrimp’s club and used high-frequency pulses to peer into the inner workings of the armor’s microstructure.

Their work revealed that the outer layer of herringbone fibers helps the club resist cracking from the strike, while the inner Bouligand structure can selectively absorb high-frequency stress waves that might otherwise harm the rest of the creature’s limb.

The findings highlight the potential of exploiting these natural designs for technological applications. The structure could inspire new designs for protective military and sports equipment, as well as impact-resistant coatings & improved materials for the aerospace industry.

While the study used 2D models of the shockwaves, more complex, 3D simulations are needed to fully capture how the club’s structure works. Designing aquatic experiments with state-of-the-art instrumentation would allow us to investigate how phononic properties function in submerged conditions.”

source:smithsonianmag.com

video source:You Tube

https://youtu.be/E0Li1k5hGBE

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Polyethylene Furanoate(PEF)

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Polyethylene Furanoate(PEF) : THE FUTURE OF BIOPLASTIC

In the diverse world of sustainable biopolymers, it's easy to get lost in the sea of options. We're not claiming to be the ultimate solution for every need, but we're proud of how releaf®'s PEF stacks up against other materials.

This chart compares PEF with rPET, PBS, PHA, and PLA across key performance indicators. While each material has its strengths, PEF shines in areas like barrier properties, mechanical strength, and recyclability.

We're newcomers built on decades of research, and we're excited to be part of the sustainability conversation.

Delivering high-performance, truly recyclable materials that meet the evolving needs of eco-conscious brands.

source:Avantium

#polymers #bioplastic #circulareconomy #avantium