polymerguru

Non-biodegradable plastics and polymers have become the material of choice in the modern world, and there is evidence of vigorous R&D activities to discover, develop, and commercially produce degradable biopolymers to replace them. But the reality is that biopolymers are still in the early stages of development and considering them as an alternative for the current commercial products is too improbable. Because biopolymers originate from plants, they can be utilized in sectors where they come in contact with the human body, such as personal hygiene/grooming, cosmetics, medical implant/devices, textile, and food markets. The use of plastics in our everyday life is nearly boundless. Due to its low cost of production and versatility, no alternate emerging product is likely to replace the nearly ubiquitous presence of plastics. The current global production level is about 250 million tons and its growth will continue to be robust globally. Plastics are preferred as they are light,

The Austrian company Hirtenberger Prosafe Safety Technology GmbH uses the Bayer MaterialScience AG multi-wall carbon nanotubes i.e. Baytubes™ for an innovative safety technology that significantly reduces the risk of explosions in fuel tanks. In fact this Austrian company has developed innovative hollow spheres which have been designed to prevent the formation of explosive gas mixtures in fuel tanks. These carbon nanotube filled-spheres that will be soon introduced on the global market under the trade name Safeball™ are treated with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents. They are an interesting alternative to extruded metal mesh or plastic foam usually used for this purpose. They have to be introduced into fuel tank in order to completely fill it, the available tank volume being only reduced by 8.5% due to their special shape that allows fuel to flow freely while preventing any dangerous surging, which occurs when large volumes of liquid are displaced.

Gosau is Environmental and Energy Programs Manager for research company, Adherent Technologies Inc (ATI) based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The company has worked on recycling processes since 1995, with $3 million (€2 million) in funding along the way from the US Departments of Defense and Energy and an alliance with Titan Technologies . Titan is an Albuquerque developer of a pyrolysis process for recycling automobile tyres. “In the mid-1990s,” Gosau indicates, “we ran the gauntlet with pyrolysis, trying to hit just the right temperature/oxygen content sweet spot, and decided it was not optimal for CFRP recycling as our primary process.” ATI has evolved a catalytic conversion technology centred around its batch-based carbon fibre recyclate processing, combining three different processes studied over the past decade, each with specific advantages and limitations. Vacuum pyrolysis, a dry process operated at around 500°C (932°F), recovers resins as marketable liquids and can be ea

Resins from Ashland Performance Materials, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., were used in the majority of projects recognized with Awards for Composite Excellence (ACE) from the American Composites Manufacturing Association (ACMA). Ashland resins were used in six out of the 10 ACMA awards presented during the organization's recent annual meeting. Harbor Technologies, LLC won the Infinite Possibilities award with their Hybrid Composite Bridge Beam entry using Ashland's epoxy vinyl ester resin. The Innovations in Green Composites Technology award was presented to Bedford Reinforced Plastics, which used Ashland's Envirez® resin, industry's first commercially available unsaturated polyester resin containing renewable materials, to create a double-walled hybrid composite panel used to replace drywall in some construction applications. The Most Creative Application award was presented to the AEWC Advanced Structures & Composites Center at the University of Maine, for

Most polymers - materials made of long, chain-like molecules - are very good insulators for both heat and electricity. But an MIT team has found a way to transform the most widely used polymer, polyethylene, into a material that conducts heat just as well as most metals, yet remains an electrical insulator. The new process causes the polymer to conduct heat very efficiently in just one direction, unlike metals, which conduct equally well in all directions. This may make the new material especially useful for applications where it is important to draw heat away from an object, such as a computer processor chip. The work is described in a paper published this month in Nature Nanotechnology. The key to the transformation was getting all the polymer molecules to line up the same way, rather than forming a chaotic tangled mass, as they normally do. The team did that by slowly drawing a polyethylene fiber out of a solution, using the finely controllable cantilever of an atomic force microsco

A collaborative industrial project between the Japanese companies Teijin Limited, Teijin Chemicals and also Tanaka Foresight Inc. has allowed to develop eyeglass frame entirely made from plant-based, heat resistant poly(acid lactic) (PLA). The chosen material is a Biofront™ grade from Teijin Limited, that is said to be the world's first mass-produced stereocomplex PLA, made with plant-based Poly-L-lacticacid polymer (conventional poly(lacticacid acid)) and their enantiomer poly-D-lacticacid polymer. This highly stable stereocomplex structure, based on Teijin's polymer technology, allows to obtain a melting point of 210° C, that is over 40°C higher than that of poly-L-lacticacid polymer, putting Biofront™ heat resistance at par with oil-based poly(butylene terephthalate) ( PBT ). Biofront™ PLA exhibits high resistance to bleaching and antibacterial properties that suits for eyeglass applications.

The remodeled third-generation of Prius vehicle from the Japanese automaker Toyota Tsusho Corporation includes a special floor mat made from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fiber i.e. an Ingeo™ material produced by the American bio-based plastic specialist NatureWorks. Known as the world’s most eco-conscious car, Toyota Prius features world leading fuel consumption (38km/L), a solar powered ventilation system, and environmentally friendly plant-derived plastics for seat cushion foam, cowl side trim, inner and outer scuff plates, and deck trim cover. Now, the new Prius adds to these bio based materials by offering optional floor mats (deluxe type) using NatureWorks’ advanced Ingeo fiber system. As a result Ingeo fiber allows to reduce the fossil fuel use by 65% and cuts by 90% the CO 2 emission when compared to the petrochemical based polyamide ( PA ) used in conventional floor mats.