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News Materials Plastic behaviour Lou Reade


K, the huge German plastics exhibition which took place in Dusseldorf in October 2013, is never short of new technology. In terms of materials development, the in- dustry is no longer focused on developing new monomers to create new polymers. Instead, plastics companies are using their expertise to tweak the performance of existing grades by modifying their process and catalyst technology. Lyondell Basell has developed a catalyst to make polyethylene pipe mate- rial that combines toughness with high temperature resistance. The material is made in three ‘fractions’, which have low, medium and high molecular weight. This combination already has high tem- perature resistance; the catalyst forces a butene co-monomer to go towards the higher fraction – which improves the toughness. The end result is a pipe that is tough enough to be used outdoors that can withstand temperatures above 40o


C, says


Detlef Schramm, marketing asset man- ager for pipe. The material could be used to replace metal, which corrodes quickly; PVDF, which is 10 times more expensive; or cross-linked polyethylene, which is harder to install. Potential uses include pipes for cool- ing power cables, removing industrial sewage waste or transferring fluid in biomass plants.


Chemical marker


And, under the surface of the plastics, German start-up company Polysecure has developed fluorescent ‘tagging’ molecules to prevent counterfeiting. The ceramic molecules are derived from rare earth metals – or, at least, the ‘south side’ of the periodic table, according to the company’s Freddy Schleihs. Polysecure will prepare a different molecule for each customer, meaning that each product is uniquely tagged. The molecules are incorporated into the plastic – at a concentration of around 0.02% – before it is converted into finished products. The molecule is stable up to very high temperatures, and inert – so will not


affect physical properties. ‘We call it the “dead dog” in the mix,’ says Schleihs. The technology uses a quantum


effect called the anti-Stokes effect. When the molecules are illuminated with infrared light, electrons are promoted through two energy states. When these electrons decay, they emit light of a specific wavelength, which can be easily detected. Schleihs demonstrated this by shining a small laser pen onto two pieces of plastic: the one with the tagging mol- ecule showed a fluorescent effect on the surface. The tags can be identified with more rigorous testing too, such as X-ray analysis or chemical analysis.


Obo Bettermann, a German manufac-


turer of plastic security switches, began using Polysecure tags to ensure that its products would not be blamed in the event of an electrical fire caused by a counterfeit product. Chemical analysis can be used to detect the tagging com- pound in ashes, he says. The technology is not exclusively for use in plastics. It can also be added to metals in the form of a ‘marker drop’, where it is inserted into a small drilled hole. One use of this is in replacement turbine blades. Genuine blades, from the original manufacturer, can be tagged. If a ‘false’ one is used to replace the original, no tagging compound will be detected and the turbine will cut out. He cites pharmaceuticals, dental


crowns and printing inks as other poten- tial uses for the technology. Although not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Schleihs says this could be done if a customer wanted it.


Concept artists The idea of a concept car is nothing new: car manufacturers pack as many of their current technologies into a demonstration model. A similar approach is taken by plastics companies who often showcase their materials or expertise in this way. At K, some of the products that caught the eye included a cello, an oven and a bike. But no ordinary bike: BASF, its inven-


tor, posed the question: ‘What would the original designer of the bicycle have done with today’s modern materials?’


Polysecure is a fluorescent marker that helps to prevent counterfeiting in a range of products


(See page 19) One example is the use of its springy Infinergy material – used in Adidas training shoes – as solid tyres, protected by a sheath of hard-wearing thermoplastic polyurethane. Celanese’s ‘metal-free’ induction oven – a concept by Brazilian designer Guto Indio da Costa – uses two of its liquid crystal polymers (LCPs), which have melting points above 300°C. ‘The lower specific heat capacity of plastic means that the oven will consume around 30% less energy than a metal equivalent,’ says Tilo Vaahs, global director of the consumer business unit at Celanese. ‘This should be of interest to companies like Whirlpool and Electrolux.’ The materials are already proven in


this environment, as they are used for products such as muffin tins. Plastic’s insulating nature will also help the oven retain more heat, while the ‘non-sticky’ nature of the materials ensures that spills are cleaned off very easily. Meanwhile, the cello from Bayer Material Science features a transparent part made from thermoplastic polyur- ethane: although only a concept, it has been demonstrated by a leading musician (C&I, 2013, 10, 19). Projecting patterns onto the transparent part could be used as part of a concert – or as a teaching aid, says the company. While these concepts are unlikely to


be realised in their current forms, it’s not impossible to imagine variants of them – or ideas inspired by them – hitting the market in the near future.


Chemistry&Industry • November 2013 15


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