Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Researchers unveil new rapid polymer nanostructure production process

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

University of Birmingham researchers unveil new rapid polymer nanostructure production process

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have unveiled a new method for the rapid, scalable preparation of uniform nanostructures directly from block polymers. The Dove and O’Reilly groups have led the project with the new method found to reduce processing times from a week to a few minutes, while also ensuring the high-throughput production of precision polymer nanomaterials.

Published in Nature Synthesis, the researchers’ findings outline a rapid seed preparation technique that supersaturates polymer solutions in a flow system. The process works by facilitating uniform seed micelle formation and enables the integration of seed preparation and living crystallisation-driven self-assembly (CDSA). As a result, users can achieve end-to-end production of nanostructures in as little as three minutes, an improvement on existing synthetic methods by orders of magnitude.

Offering a powerful, scalable, and precise approach, the new method aids with the development of diverse and complex polymer nanoparticles. This will help to pave the way towards their scalable synthesis and potential applications in the biomedical engineering, catalysis, and energy transfer sectors.

Additionally, enhancements in versatility and efficiency could provide new possibilities in terms of applications in different fields. The research also signifies a “step forward in the field of precision nanomaterials.” Potential new applications for precision polymer nanomaterials include advancing drug delivery systems, allowing therapeutic agents to be carried directly to targeted cells, and improvements in the treatment of diseases like cancer.

A word from the team:

This innovative method represents a significant leap forward in the field of nanomaterials,” said Dr Rachel K. O'Reilly, one of the lead researchers. “By drastically reducing the processing time and increasing throughput, we can now produce high-quality nanostructures at a scale that was previously unattainable.

The integration of seed preparation and living CDSA in a continuous flow setup is a game-changer. It not only enhances efficiency but also ensures uniformity and reproducibility, which are critical for the practical application of these nanostructures.

The first author of the study, Laihui Xiao, concluded, “Our flash-freezing strategy is a key innovation that allows us to achieve rapid and uniform seed formation. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for the scalable synthesis of precision nanomaterials.

source: University of Birmingham/interplasinsights.com

PCBL Chemical strengthens its Specialty portfolio, To set up its 1st Acetylene Black plant in India, Signs a Technology transfer agreement with Ningxia Jinhua

PCBL Chemical Ltd has signed a technology transfer agreement with Chinese company Ningxia Jinhua Chemical Co. to produce Acetylene black in India. Acetylene black is a high-end conductive grade chemical with applications in high voltage power cables, Li Ion batteries, EV charging, Semiconductor packaging and conductive plastics, paints & coatings applications. PCBL plans to set up its 1st Acetylene Black plant in India to meet the fast-growing demand of Indian Battery industry and export to the global battery, semiconductor and conductive markets, thereby aligning with market needs to build more resilient supply chains for critical conductive materials.

Over the last few years, PCBL has significantly expanded its specialty portfolio. It has launched over 50 grades under Bleumina brand for engineered plastics, Nutone for inks, paints and coating applications and Energia for conductive applications like conductive polymers, electrostatic discharge, wires and cables and battery.

The addition of Acetylene black would significantly bolster its capabilities to offer numerous grades in the fast-growing conductive segment. PCBL has recently set up a Joint Venture company, Nanovace Technologies Ltd to develop nano- silicon products to be used in anodes of Li-Ion batteries. The pilot plant at PCBL Palej site will be ready in the next few months. Acetylene black technology addition is in sync with PCBL's strategy to align growth vectors with global macro trends like Energy Transition, Grid Renewal, Auto Electrification and Semiconductor industry growth.

The market size of Acetylene Blacks, which is currently around 60,000 MT, is estimated to increase by around 19-20% CAGR and reach around 150,000 MT by 2030. Acquisition of this technology will enable PCBL's participation in these fast growth market segments, accelerating moving up the value ladder, enriching product mix and thereby leading to significant improvement in margin profile. PCBL aims to be a major player in conductive material segments. With this technology acquisition, PCBL now has multiple conductive technology platforms - Furnace Black, Nanovace and Acetylene Black, making it part of select club of multi-platform Carbon Black manufacturers. This acquisition will further accelerate PCBL's transition to innovation led and tech driven organization.

source : PCBL 

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Additive Manufacturing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Additive Manufacturing of Adaptive Architected Structures for Enhanced Protective Equipment

Our research study on "Additive Manufacturing of Adaptive Architected Structures for Enhanced Protective Equipment" is published in European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids.

This study focuses on the development of #architected gradient structures with #auxetic properties to enhance mechanical performance and impact resistance. By integrating advanced design methodologies with

#additive_manufacturing, we aim to create customizable and adaptive protective components. The research explores #3DPrinted structures with tailored mechanical properties, optimizing them for streamlined manufacturing and improved wearability. The findings contribute significantly to the advancement of lightweight, high-performance

#protective equipment, offering innovative solutions for various applications.

The results indicate that the selected design has the potential for use in future protective gear, such as sport-related PPE applications. However, further research is needed to evaluate the functional performance of this structure in dome-shaped systems and to explore key design aspects, such as comfort and ventilation, in greater detail.

source:Mehrshad Mehrpouya/University of Twente /AM SMART

More details

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S099775382500083X

video: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S099775382500083X-mmc1.mp4

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff-Nobel Prize 1901

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:

Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff-Nobel Prize 1901

Stereochemistry

Methane was known to consist of four atoms of hydrogen and one of carbon. It had also been determined that it was a symmetrical compound, meaning that in chemical reactions, other chemicals did not discriminate as to which hydrogen atom they would react to. Van 't Hoff quickly concluded that the only spatial arrangement consistent with this finding was one where the carbon atom lay at the center of a regular tetrahedron (a four-sided figure with equilateral triangles as sides) with each of the other four molecules at a corner of the tetrahedron. This was the first peek that scientists had ventured to take into the three-dimensional structure of molecules.

Van 't Hoff claimed as the inspiration for his discovery, Johannes Wislicenus's studies on lactic acid, in which he declares that differences in some chemical properties may be attributable to structural differences in their molecules. On the other hand, Joseph Achille Le Bel, who, incidentally, had studied with van 't Hoff under Kekule, and who published a similar conclusion to van 't Hoff, claimed Louis Pasteur as his inspiration.

Optically active compounds:

One property chemists had trouble explaining was the optical activity of different substances in solution. A beam of light is said to be polarized when, according to the wave theory of light, all the waves are in the same plane. Jean-Baptiste Biot had established in the early nineteenth century that when a beam of polarized light passes through the solutions of some organic compounds, the plane of polarization of the light is rotated, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left. He postulated that this could be due to the lack of symmetry in the structure of the molecules, meaning that the molecules must have a left-hand and right-hand side that are distinguishable from one another. Louis Pasteur surveyed a large number of substances that exhibit this property, and found that they all consisted of a carbon atom surrounded by atoms of more than one element. Van 't Hoff showed how his stereochemical model of carbon compounds could account for this property.

Van 't Hoff was the first chemist to peer into the three-dimensional structure of molecules. The techniques that led to the discovery of the three-dimensional structure of proteins and to deciphering the winding staircase-like structure of the DNA molecule can be traced to his work more than half a century earlier.

Van 't Hoff's exploration of the factors that drive the speed of chemical reactions were of major importance to the chemical industry, and to the establishment of the field of physical chemistry.

Upon studying the lives of famous scientists, van 't Hoff concluded that imagination plays an all-important role in the ability of a researcher to make new discoveries.

Source:newworldencyclopedia

#chemistry #3dstructure #discovery #nobelprize

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