A unique class of acrylic block copolymers. 

Description

In the nanotechnology age, the ability to modify matter on the nanometer length-scale offers some very interesting property tradeoffs. However, to date nanotechnology has yielded very few industrial achievements, with the main obstacle being the difficulty in fabricating matter down to this scale using available industrial techniques Therefore, for many years composite materials were not able to benefit from nanotechnology.

Properties

Block copolymers are made up of two or more chemically distinct segments, which inherently self assemble at the nanometer length-scale. This “nanostructuration” is due to the covalent linkage between the two dissimilar blocks, which typically have a strong repulsion for each other. Thermodynamic driving forces are behind this organization and lead to highly specific and reproducible ordering. Block copolymers can be readily blended with (and may nanostructure within) homopolymers as long as one block segment is miscible with the homopolymer. Nanostrength® block copolymers have a hard-soft-hard block structure where the rigid blocks ensure material cohesion, while the soft blocks bring softness, elasticity, or impact reinforcement.

Nanostructurationoffers a unique combination of properties. Three examples highlight the benefits of Nanostrength®:

• Car sunroof
  Nanostrength® technology, makes it possible to obtain UV resistant reinforced acrylic materials  with  outstanding (and heretofore unmet) transparency, regardless of temperature.

• Pressure sensitive adhesives
  Certain Nanostrength® grades are soft and intrinsically adhesive, offering new possibilities in the field of pressure sensitive adhesives, e.g., for typical hot melt applications without the need for UV curing, and as high solid content solvent-based adhesives. Thanks to Arkema’s unique BlocBuilder® polymerization technology , a hydrophilic Nanostrength® grade with reversible and well-controlled water absorption properties has been developed, finding use in medical applications, among others.

• High performance composites
  Nanostrength® is used as an additive for thermoset resins to improve impact resistance and/or fatigue resistance without compromising thermo-mechanical properties. High performance composite bicycle frames is just one example application where Nanostrength® finds use today.
  

Markets and applications

Beyond the above examples,  Nanostrength® finds applications in many different fields, including:

• Adhesives
  o Reactive hot melts
  o Elastomeric hot melts
  o Solvent-based adhesives
  o Water absorbing adhesives
  o Medical adhesives

• Rigid Thermoplastic Materials
  o Additives in Engineering polymers and alloys
  o New class of transparent acrylic materials

• Soft Thermoplastics and Rubber
  o TPU
  o Copolyesters
  o Styrenics
  o Rubbers

• Thermoset Materials
  o Epoxies
  o Unsaturated polyesters
  o Vinyl esters
  o Polyurethanes
  o Acrylics
  

Production Plant