MODULUS VS. MINERAL LOADING For optimized flexural modulus in the Chevy Impala TPO body side molding, 75% less nanoclay was required than standard talc. (Source: Southern Clay Products)
Carbon nanotubes, such as the multi-walled Fibrils from Hyperion Catalysis, have 50 times the tensile strength of stainless steel and five times the thermal conductivity of copper.
Honeywell’s Aegis nylon 6 nanocomposites have been used in high-barrier PET beer bottles and are also being considered as a replacement for EVOH in films and pouches.
They are still in their infancy, but if the forecasts are right, nanocomposites could turn out to be the biggest little thing to hit plastics in decades. Polymers reinforced with as little as 2% to 5% of these particles via melt compounding or in-situ polymerization exhibit dramatic improvements in thermo-mechanical properties, barrier properties, and flame retardancy. They also can outperform standard fillers and fibers in raising heat resistance, dimensional stability, and electrical conductivity.
Dispersions of nano-scale reinforcements in polymers are already entering the marketplace in automotive and packaging applications, albeit in a low-profile manner and slower than had been anticipated. But that pace is expected to speed up dramatically, as indicated by the enthusiasm of researchers and marketers shown in roughly 200 papers delivered at three technical conferences. These were Nanocomposites 2004 in San Francisco, the SPE Antec 2004 in Chicago, and Nanocomposites 2004 in Brussels, Belgium (see box for details).
A report from market-research firm Business Communications Co., Inc., Norwalk, Conn., pegs the total worldwide market for polymer nanocomposites at 24.5 million lb in 2003, valued at $90.8 million. It also projects the market to grow at an average annual rate of 18.4% to reach $211.1 million by 2008. Even if nano developments hit some snags, BCC says some applications will grow faster than 20% per year.
