POLYAMIDES | ADDITIVES
Powering up polyamides
Today’s polyamide additives must enhance performance while taking sustainability into account. Jennifer Markarian reviews the latest trends and introductions
Polyamides are in high demand for engineering applications where their mechanical properties and temperature resistance are key, especially in metal-replacement uses. Their flexible polymer chemistry, together with an ever growing range of performance enhancing additives, also makes poly- amides one of the most customisable and versatile of engineering resins. Additives for polyamide (PA) compounds include heat stabilisers, lubricants, flame retardants, thermal and electrical conductivity modifiers, glass reinforcement, colorants, and more. With such a broad range of performance-enhancing options available, it should be no surprise that PA plays such a key role in increasingly demanding markets such as transportation, communications, and electrical and electronics. “E-mobility, unmanned vehicles (such as drones)
and robotics will require higher temperature, higher modulus, lighter materials, which polyamide formulations/composites will likely address,” says
www.compoundingworld.com
Roger Avakian, founder of Avakian PolyChem Consulting. Avakian says another area driving the growing
use of PA is in personal electronic devices – biobased PAs are already used in cell phones and their use is accelerating because of the improved eco-profile. Sustainability is also increasingly a concern for PA additives, he says, citing the example of flame retardants where manufacturers are looking for solutions that fit with their circular economy strategies. In the area of PA stabilisation, there is an ongoing focus on halogen-free and copper-free heat stabilis- ers that will not negatively affect flame retardancy, according to Dr Klaus Bergmann, Business Unit Manager Polymer Additives at Brüggemann. The specialty additive maker recently introduced Bruggolen TP-H2062, a metal and halide-free heat stabiliser offering sustained protection in the temperature range of 120-170 °C. The stabiliser provides electrically neutral stabilisation to prevent
Main image: EVs present new challenges for PA com- pounds in meeting
mechanical and electrical performance while maintain- ing colour stability
February 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 35
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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