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TECHNOLOGY | CONDUCTIVE PLASTICS


OCSiAl opens new synthesis facilities. “These developments will inevitably lead to further price reductions,” Bolshakov says. Bolshakov says the company has taken a number of steps to ensure that its customers are able to make effective and safe use of its products. “Firstly, we mostly supply SWCNTs in the form of easy-to-use and easy-to-dilute masterbatches, so our customers do not face any technical challenges with dispersion of the nanotube powder. Secondly, we provide optimised percolation curves that our customers should be able to achieve. If they can’t initially achieve the curve, we provide further technical support and in practically all cases solve the problem,” he explains. The company is also the first SWCNT producer


Above: Production of electrically conductive polymer sheet in the Aimplas development lab


improvements, the supplier says. Meanwhile, its recently developed Tuball Matrix concentrates are said to greatly simplify the handling of the nano- tubes - OCSiAl emphasises the cleanliness of operations compared to those using carbon black to impart conductivity.


OCSiAl launched its first facility for industrial- scale and low-cost SWCNT production in 2013 and says that, on their launch, the Tuball nanotubes were 75 times cheaper than the nearest analogues. “When considering the price, the ultra-low effective concentration of SWCNTs required should also be acknowledged – it is tens and hundreds of times lower than that of other conventional additives, such as MWCNTs or carbon black,” says Zakhar Bolshakov, OCSiAl Vice President for Polymers.


Capacity expansions OCSiAl has a production capacity of 10 tonnes of SWCNTs per year. This sounds modest but the company claims 90% of the world’s total produc- tion capacity. Capacity is scheduled to increase to 60 tonnes this year, rising to 320 tonnes in 2020 as


to be registered in accordance with the EU’s REACH regulations. It says it is now authorised to start large-volume commercial shipments of SWCNTs to customers in Europe (currently up to 10 tonnes/year), the US and other key global markets. It also says it is investing in health and safety-relat- ed research projects conducted by independent laboratories. The company recently revealed the results of a study showing that Taber abrasion tests show hardly any nano-sized particles were released when materials containing SWCNTs were mechani- cally stressed.


OCSiAl and its partners claim several successes in applying SWCNTs in various thermoplastic compounds. “Some basic and engineering thermoplastics containing SWCNTs have already been launched on the market, but many more are just about to be launched and will enter the market in 2018,” says Evgeniy Ilin, OCSiAl Vice President and Head of Department of Polymer Materials. He also says the company is looking for partners to jointly develop next-generation high-performance thermoplastic compounds.





PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


3D rendered images showing the very different structure of multiwall carbon (left) and single wall (right) carbon nanotubes, which results in quite distinct properties


48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | February 2018 www.compoundingworld.com


PHOTO: AIMPLAS


PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


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