TECHNOLOGY | NANOCOMPOSITES
Above: OCSiAl opened a new R&D centre in Luxembourg last year to accelerate plastics
compounding application of its Tuball SWCNTs
SWCNTs can be coloured due to the very low dosage levels.
“Due to their low addition ratio, graphene nanotubes [SWCNTs] are already receiving increas- ing interest from a number of thermoplastics compounders who are in the process of develop- ing new conductive products with a better mix of characteristics than existing materials,” says Dr Christian Maus, Development and Support Leader for Thermoplastics, OCSiAl Group. For example, Tuball Matrix (the company’s
Right: Anti-static rotationally moulded drums containing Tuball SWCNTs from OCSiAl
predispersed form of SWCNTs) is being used as an antistatic additive in PVC plastisol-based textiles for automotive interiors. As a permanent, non-migrat- ing antistat, the company says the additive’s functionality is independent of humidity and does not have a negative influence on other material properties. Tuball Matrix 814 is a standard concen- trate that covers a broad range of needs in the PVC plastisols market, while Tuball Matrix 202 is intended for more specific applications, says Maus. New to the product line is Tuball Matrix 610, a masterbatch for EPDM compounds. The additive is said to act as a permanent antistat and improves mechanical properties such as tensile modulus and tear strength. Compounds containing the additive can maintain a low hardness without loss in elastic behaviour and are suitable for use in conveyor belts, industrial rollers, gaskets and seals. In these applications, the compound needs good elasticity and grip, as well as low abrasion and no carbon release from the surface that is in contact with other objects, says Ekaterina Gorbunova, Develop- ment and Support Leader for Elastomers, Vice President, OCSiAl Group. The company also has two grades designed to
provide antistatic properties in rotationally mould- ed products: Tuball Matrix 811 beta and 815 beta, the latter providing the lowest resistivity (or highest conductivity). Examples of commercial uses range
16 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2021
www.compoundingworld.com
from PE containers for explosive liquids and powders to coloured antistatic playground slides. Another application is in oil separators for the oil and gas industry, where conductivity must be very stable with no ‘hot spots’. To achieve high conduc- tivity with the 815 product, the concentrate must be further compounded into the target polymer using a twin-screw extruder, then the pellets must be milled before rotomolding. Maus says that SWCNTs are also expected to be useful in thermoplastics reinforcement because of their high mechanical performance and efficiency at low dosages. “As graphene nanotubes [SWCNTs] don’t compromise the high mechanical properties of the original materials, they can bring new solutions to more and more demanding industries, such as transportation, industrial applications, or E&E. Accordingly, new products focusing on the conductive properties of engineering polymers are under development and under customer evalua- tion,” he says.
Masterbatch moves UK-headquartered Colloids, a Tosaf Group company, has been developing graphene-polymer compounds over the past seven years, and has funded a joint collaborative research project with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the UK’s University of Manchester. “Graphene is a remarkable material with a multitude of astonishing properties - the strongest material ever tested, exceptional mechanical properties, extremely flexible, and record electrical and thermal conduc- tivity,” says Dr Marios Michailidis, Colloids New Product Development Manager. Michailidis says that while other additives, including glass fibres, improve some of these properties, graphene is the only additive to alone improve so many properties at the same time. “We
IMAGE: OCSIAL IMAGE: OCSIAL
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