polymerguru

A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed a new microfluidics-assisted technique for developing high-performance macroscopic graphene fibers. Graphene fiber, a recently discovered member of the carbon fiber family, has potential applications in diverse technological areas, from: Energy storage  Electronics and optics  Electro-magnetics  Thermal conductor and thermal management Structural applications Their findings are published in a newly released issue of Nature Nanotechnology. It has historically been difficult to simultaneously optimize both the thermal/electrical and the  mechanical properties  of graphene fibers. However, the Rensselaer team has demonstrated their ability to do both. High Thermal, Electrical & Mechanical Properties Macroscopic graphene fibers can be manufactured by fluidics-enabled assembly from 2D graphene oxide sheets dispersed in aqueous solutions forming lyotropic liquid crystal.  Strong shape and size co

Airbus and Dassault Systèmes have signed a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to cooperate on the implementation of collaborative 3D design, engineering, manufacturing, simulation and intelligence applications. This will enable Airbus to take a major step forward in its digital transformation and lay the foundation for a new European industrial ecosystem in aviation. Under the MOA, Airbus will deploy Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform, which delivers digital continuity, from design to operations, in a single data model for a unified user experience, making digital design, manufacturing and services (DDMS) a company-wide reality for all Airbus divisions and product lines. DDMS paves the way for breakthroughs in new product design, operational performance, support and maintenance, customer satisfaction and new business models, as it represents a move from sequential to parallel development processes. Instead of first focusing on product performance, Airb

SABIC  has announced another major milestone in its ground-breaking project to pioneer the production of certified circular polymers using a feedstock from mixed plastic waste. Commercializing Certified Circular Polymers The latest achievement – the production of the first certified circular polymers – is part of what is known as a ‘market foundation stage’. Launched in January, this stage is an important step towards creating a new circular value chain for plastics. During this stage, initial volumes of pyrolysis oil from plastic waste are introduced as feedstock at SABIC’s Geleen production site in The Netherlands. The patented pyrolysis oil has been produced by PLASTIC ENERGY Ltd from the recycling of low quality, mixed plastic waste otherwise destined for incineration or landfill. As part of the market foundation stage, SABIC has begun to produce and commercialize the first monthly volumes of certified circular polymers -  polyethylene (PE)  and  polypropylene (PP) . Thi

Dr Henry Leung from the School of Chemical and Life Sciences and his team of three final-year students from the Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry found a way to lessen the environmental impact of coffee waste. They have turned used coffee grounds into a flame retardant that could potentially be used to improve fire safety in homes and offices. Leveraging Slow-burning Properties of Coffee By treating coffee waste and mixing it with epoxy resin – a material commonly found in floorings and walls of homes – the team were able to leverage the slow-burning properties of coffee to create a material that could withstand a fire by as much as two times that of regular epoxy resin. This new material has also attained an “HB” grading, which indicates slow burning on a horizontal specimen, based on initial findings by a third-party testing laboratory. Apart from its fire-resistant qualities, the coffee-epoxy resin has the potential to become a total solution for reducing coffee waste as groun

The Industrial Group Calvera has recently supplied a customer in Finland with several units of their containers for the transport of biomethane, a mobile gas pipeline solution. The innovative equipment is designed under the flexible Hooklift system that includes easy loading and unloading with a Multilift hydraulic arm coupled to a truck, which makes logistics much easier by taking natural gas storage where it is needed and without leaving the tanker truck, only the container. Calvera’s equipment was custom-made in terms of capacity and weight, adjusting the product as much as possible to the client’s specific needs and offering high levels of efficiency and profitability through the use of the latest available technology. In this case, the client produces renewable natural gas from a wood waste digester, which is then compressed and marketed in biomethane service stations that serve buses, trucks, cars and light vehicles in Finland. The Nordic countries and Finland i

Teijin Limited has been awarded a contract to supply its carbon fiber material to Bombardier Aerostructures for another seven years, until 2025. Teijin says that part of its focus on aircraft business growth during 2017-2019 and developing carbon fibers with higher tenacity and higher tensile modulus, intermediate materials, carbon fiber thermoplastic consolidated laminate, thermoset prepreg and non-crimp fabric. Teijin was awarded a contract by Bombardier to supply materials for major primary and secondary composite structures in 2010 and the company’s Tenax carbon fiber has been used for primary structure applications including wing, center wing box structures and empennage applications. Source;Teijin

Avantium has retaken full ownership of its YXY plants-to-plastics technology through the purchase of BASF’s shares in the Synvina joint venture. Avantium has appointed Marcel Lubben as Managing Director of Synvina to lead the commercialization of the YXY technology, effective 1 February 2019. Avantium has regained the intellectual property, people and assets for YXY and has paid BASF €13.7 million for its equity stake in Synvina , as agreed in the Joint Venture Agreement. A net payment of €3.7 million was made for full ownership of the assets acquired by Synvina in the last two years. Redefining Commercialization Path for Renewable Chemistries Avantium is redefining the path to commercialization for the YXY technology, which it developed to catalytically convert plant-based sugars into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) and materials such as the new plant-based packaging material PEF (polyethylenefuranoate) . PEF can fulfil the demand of leading brands and consumers