MATERIALS | WIRE AND CABLE
VTMOEOS silane added to EU’s SVHC list
In January of this year the EU chemi- cals agency ECHA announced the inclusion of tris(2-methoxyethoxy) vinylsilane (VTMOEOS) on the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) on the grounds of toxicity to reproduction. The move sets VTMOEOS on the
path to potential inclusion in REACH Annex XIV, which would prohibit its use in any application unless authori- sation is provided by the European Commission. In the meantime, its inclusion on the SVHC candidate list places an obligation on those supplying articles containing more than 0.1% by weight to provide safe use information to customers. In addition, importers and producers must notify ECHA if an article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date of inclusion. In the cable industry today the use
of VTMOEOS is limited to use as a coupling agent in traditional elasto- mer formulations, according to silane supplier Evonik. It points out that vinyl trimethoxysilane (VTMOS) — which is used in various cable applications including, for example, for grafting of PE in moisture-cured PEX-b compounds — was not identi- fied as an SVHC in ECHA’s Substance Evaluation Report (published in 2020).
Helmut Buesser, head of Evonik Silanes’ General Industry market segment
Dynasylan 6498 and 6598 and
However, as the first silane devel- oped for high temperature applica- tions (the boiling point of VTMOEOS is around 285°C compared to 120°C for VTMOS), Evonik says VTMOEOS is still an important product for some long-established elastomer and adhesive applications. “VTMOEOS is only very rarely used in new development projects,” says Helmut Buesser, who heads Evonik Silanes’ General Industry market segment. “We have not shipped any samples for new development projects in the past years. Already in the late 1990s, Evonik Silanes introduced technically superior solutions like the silane oligomers Dynasylan 6498 and Dynasylan 6598 and other products.”
mentation of technologies such as FTTH expected to be high among key drivers. It says the combina- tion of the Alphagary and Shakun material portfo- lios will provide cable engineers with a variety of solutions for designing fibre optic and copper cables for voice and data, power, and other applications that meet evolving global fire safety standards. The latest Alphagary developments include Megolon halogen-free, flame retardant compounds for Category 6 data cables that need to pass the European B2 level of CPR testing, as well as compounds for thin-wall CPR B2 applications. Garaflex TPE compounds have been formulated to provide the durability and flexibility required for electric vehicle (EV) charging station cables that
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2022
other grades are used to promote coupling between the polymer and ATH or MDH flame retardant fillers in HFFR cable formulations, where they promote dispersion, ease processing and can significantly improve me- chanical and electrical property characteristics. Substitution of VTMOEOS with a newer and safer alternative is rela- tively simple for elastomer applica- tions from a technical perspective, according to Evonik, but the effort and cost required to get a new formula- tion approved can be high. “There is a possibility that individual formulated products may no longer be available in the future,” according to Buesser. VTMOEOS previously featured in
the Wacker product line-up but is not a current product. “While we did use vinyl-tris-(2-methoxyethoxy) silane several years ago for the formulation of very few and highly specialised niche products, Wacker is generally not selling any products containing significant quantities of the silane as of today and neither do we manufac- ture the substance,” a spokesperson at the company told Compounding World. �
www.evonik.com �
www.wacker.com
must operate in challenging weather conditions. The company also says its GCPE series of
chlorinated polyethylene alloy materials provides cable designers with an effective solution for production of ethernet cables used in demanding environments that need to withstand hot oil while maintaining flexibility. And, together with Shakun, it can offer Escontek semi-conducting cross-linkable compounds for power cables that meet a variety of IEC specifications.
Improving POE Germany’s Innospec has previously demonstrated how its ViscoSpeed processing aid is able to improve the processability and mechanical performance of high filler content polyolefin-based
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: EVONIKA
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