Birla says that its new Raven P7 Ultra is the industry’s
lowest MPU
product for pipe applications
additives feature | Carbon black (320-350 kg/m3
), and users report that it handles well in
its powder form, says Seger. Although it has a larger particle size, dispersion has been shown to be accept- able for commodity applications. Aemerge is seeking FDA approval and certification under organic product programs for OrganicBlack; it is listed as a USDA bio-preferred product and has also passed the EPA 313 analyses for the presence of metals. “The pending FDA food-contact notification is generating a lot of interest,” says Seger. “We expect commercial, North American sales to begin as early as January 2014. We have a secure supply of feedstock and expect to scale produc- tion up quickly over the next year.”
Conducting progress Suppliers see a continuing increase in demand for conductive carbon blacks. For example, demand from the electronic packaging industry remains strong, says Van Bellingen at Timcal. Carbon-black filled polycar- bonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS) are used in these applications at loading levels in the range of 10-20%. PC is particularly sensitive to traces of basic elements, such as sodium and magnesium, so carbon blacks with low impurity levels are required. Interest is also increasing in polyolefin foams, which offer lightweight- ing. Extra-conductive blacks may be preferred for the lowest foam densities, but high-quality, easily dispers- ible conductive carbon blacks are also used. “The impact of compounding and foam processing must be taken into account during the conductive-foam design,” notes Van Bellingen. Another important application is conductive plastic
fuel systems, which continue to grow in use as a replacement for metal-based fuel system components. Industrial applications, in which parts are subject to regulations protecting against electrostatic discharge in industrial environments (eg ATEX), are also growing, says Haines of Cabot. “Other uses of conductive carbon
Fuels system components
are helping to grow demand
for conductive carbon blacks
black are being evaluated. We believe this is an area of continued differentiation and innovation,” he adds. At K2013, Cabot introduced the Vulcan XCmax family of super-conductive, specialty carbon blacks to provide high conductivity at low carbon-black loadings in plastics. Target applications include: wire and cable: antistatic flooring and safety systems; automotive fuel tanks and inlets; coatings; and electrical and electron- ics products. Cabot says that the new products provide a range of performance properties beyond its existing line of XC specialty conductive blacks. The morphology of the Vulcan XCmax builds on Cabot’s proprietary furnace-black process technology to provide high conductivity, cleanliness and consistency. Cabot also offers pre-compounded Cabelec conduc-
tive compounds with XC and XCmax carbon blacks. It announced at K 2013 that it is expanding its range of Cabelec conductive concentrates, which contain high loadings of carbon black to enable converters to better tailor formulations. The line now includes polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene-based concentrates. Cabot is also investing in graphenes, which can achieve electrical conductivity at very low loadings; graphenes, however, are at a different price-performance point than carbon black. Understanding the many factors influencing
conductivity is an asset in end-product design, says Timcal’s Van Bellingen. Conductivity is primarily affected by carbon-black structure, namely aggregated primary particles in a branched structure that enhances electrical conductivity. A higher structure will exhibit greater conductivity. Structure can be affected by shear during compounding or injection moulding, but carbon blacks can be designed to be more shear resistant. Timcal’s Ensaco 260G, for example, has a higher
structure stability, which provides flexibility in the product design because the structure can withstand
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2013
www.compoundingworld.com
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