ADDITIVES | POLYAMIDES E M E I S
road ahead of the 2020 summer Olympic games in Tokyo, said Keiichiro Harada, Technical Service Engineer at UBE, in a presentation at the Performance Polyamides 2017 conference. UBE Nylon 1218IU (an impact-modified PA6 material) is already used as an inner layer in the hydrogen tanks for the Toyota Mirai FCV, where it provides a good balance of hydrogen gas barrier and mechanical properties at low temperature, said Harada. DSM also identified one of its PA6 grades for hydrogen fuel tank applications last year.
Above: Electronic components produced with integrated electrical circuits by LPKF
Akulon Fuel Lock has already been used for compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks but the company has since tested the technology for higher pressure hydrogen tanks for automotive use (hydrogen is stored at pressures of 350-700 bar against a typical 200-250 bar for CNG). The material is optimised to remain ductile at low temperatures, which is also important for hydrogen storage applications. DSM foresees an Akulon Fuel Lock tank can being reinforced by wrapping with unidirectional continuous fiber reinforced thermo- plastic tapes made of EcoPaXX PA 410.
Recycling ideas Using recycled PA helps companies in their quest for sustainability and reduces raw material costs, but additives are needed to adjust the molecular weight for processability and properties. These can include chain extenders to increase viscosity or additives to reduce viscosity, and compatibilisers to blend different materials. ZeMac copolymers from Vertellus and Nexamite technology from Nexam Chemical, for example, can both be used for chain extension and branching to increase the relative viscosity of polyamides. Brüggemann Chemical’s new Bruggolen
Right: DSM says its Akulon Fuel Lock PA6 meets the requirements for hydrogen storage
TP-M1417 allows the molecular weight of high- viscosity PA66 scrap to be adjusted to an appropri- ate viscosity range for injection moulding. Regrind from PA66 fibre waste with a relative viscosity of more than 3, for example, can be brought down to 2.7 for injection moulding (Figure 1). Brüggemann has found that mechanical properties of an upcycled PA66 with its additive exceed those of a standard virgin PA66 injection moulding grade of the same viscosity.
Using gel permeation
chromatography, the company has determined that the additive creates a reproducible
20 COMPOUNDING WORLD | February 2018
shift in molecular weight distribution (and thus relative viscosity). “This reproducibility and consist- ency is extraordinary for reactive additives,” says Dr Klaus Bergmann, Polymer Additives Business Unit Manager at the company. TP-M1417 can also be used to tailor relative viscosity of virgin polyamide during compounding, giving polymer manufactur- ers broader flexibility and potentially reducing the amount of off-spec material. Brüggemann Chemical also offers the additive
package Bruggolen P31, which improves proper- ties of polyamide recyclates such as processing stability, tensile strength and demoulding behav- iour. “Use of recyclate is growing in importance, but a lot of people are not aware of what can be achieved using additives. Not only can polyamide be recycled and re-used, but additives allow it to be upcycled to a more valuable use,” says Bergmann.
Improving impact Addivant has recently introduced Royaltuf 527, an improved version of its Royaltuf 498 impact modifier for polyamides. The modifier is designed for toughening down to -40 °C, with its higher melt flow index and efficiency allowing it to be used at a lower addition level. In general, impact modifiers tend to reduce flow, the company says, which is an unwanted side effect as the industry trends towards smaller, lighter parts with thinner walls. The objective in designing this product was to use as little impact modifier as possible to obtain the impact needed while maintaining flow, flex modulus, hydrolysis resistance, and thermal stability, says John Yun, Business Development Manager at Addivant. The new impact modifier also has a lower yellowness index. The Tamfer M impact modifier series for polyamides from Mitsui Chemicals comprises acid modified ethylene/1-butene copolymers optimised for various properties, such as flow and thermal stability. MH7510 was introduced in 2016 for high flow and flexibility and, in PA66, this high flow and good dispersion results in a surface finish and high gloss that is close to that obtained from unmodi- fied PA66, says Dr Hirokazu Tanaka, Senior Re- searcher at Mitsui in Japan. Arkema added high performance Orevac IM300 and Orevac IM800 maleic anhydride-graft- ed polymers to its range of impact modifiers for polyam- ides in 2016. Orevac IM800 is designed for
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