Electrically conductive | additives
New huge potential end markets such as electric vehicles and the growing penetration of electronics into everyday products and devices are opening opportunities for electrically conductive plastics, writes Jennifer Markarian
The charge to conductive plastics
Electrically conductive compounds play a vital role in the modern electronics industry, providing critical protection for devices against uncontrolled static buildup and discharge and shielding from electromag- netic interference (EMI)/radio frequency interference (RFI). They are also finding application in the developing areas of alternative energy production and storage. While conductive carbon black remains the workhorse conductive additive for plastics compounds, carbon nanotubes, graphite, graphene, and other additives are growing in importance. Batteries, fuel cells, and photovoltaics are all areas
that present opportunities for electrically conductive plastics. According to Imerys Graphite & Carbon, graphite (or conductive carbon black) filled plastic compounds are not widely exploited in batteries for the emerging electric vehicle market but can be used to produce bipolar plates for use in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells. The bipolar plates act as the current conductors between individual cells and provide conduits for the reactant gases to flow. Essential requirements include electrical and thermal conductivity. High performance applications such as fuel cell bipolar plates require graphite products with a highly controlled crystallinity and morphology. Imerys produces its Timrex synthetic graphite grades at its plant at Bodio in Switzerland using a dedicated graphitisation process
www.compoundingworld.com
that it claims offers the highest levels of consistency in terms of grade and impurities. However, the company says that in recent years the natural graphite industry has developed considerably and there are now a number of natural graphite products on the market than can compete with synthetic grades in certain application areas, such as refractories and carbon brushes. In 2016, Imerys formed a joint venture with Gecko Namibia to develop a natural graphite source. One of the leaders in development of polymer-based bipolar plates for fuel cells is the German fuel cell research center, ZBT. Speaking at the AMI Conductive Plastics 2016 conference in Philadelphia in the US last year, research leader Mario Gillmann said highly conductive materials are needed to reduce electrical losses from the plates. These are currently produced from highly filled graphite compounds, which may also contain other conductive additives to achieve the tailored level of performance required for bespoke fuel cell stack designs. Increasing demand for power storage for applica- tions such as electric vehicles is also leading to new developments in battery technology, according to Doug Bathauer, CEO of Integral Technologies (the parent company of ElectriPlast Corp). Also speaking at the Conductive Plastics 2016 conference, he said that bipolar battery construction can result in a more efficient, space-saving solution than traditional designs.
Main image: Bipolar plates are a potential application area for
conductive plastics
April 2017 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 31
PHOTO: ZBT
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