additives | Electrically conductive
Right: ZBT’s highly filled bipolar plate compounds include up to 80% graphite. Image: ZBT
He said the use of conductive plastics supports cost-effective, high-volume production of biopolar plates for different types of battery chemistries, such as lead carbon. ElectriPlast’s conductive compounds are also used in EMI/RFI shielding, such as for battery charger cases and covers. Recently the materials were selected for a high voltage connector retainer in the Karma Revero plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. This is the first car to be sold in the US using a combination of electricity, gasoline and solar power (the vehicle is equipped with a solar roof that charges the 12V and high voltage batteries). The connector retainer holds the cable seals in place, limits cable movement, and provides EMI/RFI shielding. In February of this year, Integral Technologies signed
a long-term alliance with Nova Polymers Inc under which Nova will provide manufacturing and laboratory testing as ElectriPlast expands its product line to include ESD and antistatic materials. US-based Graphene 3D Lab sees potential for the
Below: An Electriplast electrically conductive compound was selected for a high voltage connector retainer for the Karma Revero plug-in hybrid/ solar supported EV
application of highly electrically conductive graphene materials in a range of markets, including polymer compounds. The company currently manufactures graphene by chemical vapor deposition and by a proprietary technology that is said to be suitable for large-scale, low cost production. It says that while graphene is currently used only in specialised markets such as aerospace and energy storage, it will soon be used in specialised consumer markets such as sporting goods and, in the near future, will be inexpensive enough for use in mass-market consumer goods. In 2015, Graphene 3D Lab created a line of “gra- phene-infused polymers” in filament form for 3D printing based on TPU and PLA. The filaments are said to offer high conductivity and can be combined with other 3D printing polymers to 3D-print functional electronic devices. The company opened an Industrial Materials Division in March of last year to develop compounds containing
graphene on its own twin-screw extruder. Its patented G6-Impact material, which is comprised of carbon fibres and graphene nanoplatelets in high impact PS, is said to display vibration damping and shock absorbing properties. Available in pellets and as a filament for 3D printing, the material is pitched at the automotive, robotics, drone, aerospace, and military sectors, the company says. Graphene 3D Lab established a partnership with
Stony Brook University in the US in November 2016 that seeks to develop a lithium Ion battery with higher power density using a novel electrode design.
Energy efficiency The AIMPLAS plastics technology centre in Spain began its collaborative DIVEO project in 2016 to develop an automotive seat-heating system that employs electri- cally conductive plastics to give even heat over the whole seat surface. Current seat-heating technology, which is based on cables, does not give homogeneous heating. AIMPLAS says the project is focused at the develop-
ing electric vehicle market and, while electrically heated seats may sound like an unnecessary luxury, it says they could play a key role in extending vehicle range. Heating and cooling systems can consume up to 40% of the total energy used by a car, says AIMPLAS. The DIVEO system is intended to warm the occupants directly rather than heating the entire cabin, so reducing the energy load on the batteries. The aim of the project is to be able to convert any
plastic part within the car cabin into a heating device, explains Luis Roca, Head of Compounding at AIMPLAS. One of the key challenges for the project was creating a sufficiently low resistivity in the parts, around 10E+01
Ohm.cm. He says the group employed CNTs and other carbon derivatives to do this. AIMPLAS has been working with conductive additives
for many years, including its involvement in the POLYCOND project, which ran to 2009 and included development of compounds containing carbon nano-
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | April 2017
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: KARMA AUTOMOTIVE
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