Polycarbonate Nano-Composites with Increased Modulus, Strength, and Transparency
- Detailed Technology Description
- A transparent polycarbonate nanocomposite exhibiting increased modulus and strength without loss in elongation and toughness has been made at Cornell University.
- Others
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- Patents: 7,148,282; 1694763
- Patent Application: EP04811085.2
- *Abstract
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A transparent polycarbonate nanocomposite exhibiting increased modulus and strength without loss in elongation and toughness has been made at Cornell University. Cornell's polycarbonate nanocomposite is made by incorporating specially prepared nanoclays that can be used with the high temperature melting polymers, making it ideally suited for manufacturing processes such as injection molding, extrusion, and vacuum forming.
Nanoclays can be added to some polymers to improve certain of their properties. Naturally immiscible in most polymers, the nanoclays are typically made miscible by converting them to ammonium or phosphonium form. Unfortunately, conventional ammonium-form nanoclays exhibit low thermal stability and begin to decompose at around 200° C, and when used to make nanocomposites result in materials with significant coloration and poor elongation and toughness (impact resistance). Phosphonium-form nanoclays have acceptable thermal stability, but when used to make nanocomposites yield materials exhibiting defective modulus and elongation properties.
To overcome these problems, Professor Emmanuel P. Giannelis' research group developed a novel ammonium-form nanoclay which can be used in the production of high-temperature-polymer nanocomposites without the resulting discoloration and/or loss of strength seen previously.
Potential Applications
- Injection molded, extruded, and vacuum formed products
- Products requiring high strength and transparency
Advantages
- Greatly improved transparency over current available polycarbonate nanocomposites
- Increased strength, flame retardance and barrier properties over neat polycarbonates
- Thermal stability at high temperatures
- No discoloration
- Made using commercially available natural or synthetic nanoclays
- *Licensing
- Martin Teschlmt439@cornell.edu(607) 254-4454
- Country/Region
- USA