December 2007

PowerMetal Technologies and DuPont Engineering Polylmers Align to Develop New Nanometal and Polymer Hybrid Products
PowerMetal Technologies Inc., an advanced nanotechnology supplier to the sporting goods and consumer products industries, has created an alliance with DuPont Engineering Polymers to develop and commercialize a nanocrystalline metal/polymer hybrid technology. 

PowerMetal will apply its nanotechnology expertise to the manufacture of lightweight components with the strength and stiffness of metal combined with the design flexibility and lightweight benefits of high-performance DuPont thermoplastics.

PowerMetal’s patented process creates nanocrystalline structured alloys that are used in the golf and tennis industries, as they feature the performance benefits of steel with the weight typically associated with lighter-weight materials. The alliance allows PowerMetal to apply its alloys to engineering polymers.

The new technology, Metafuse nanometal/polymer hybrids, employs a proprietary process that precisely applies ultra high-strength nanometal to components made of DuPont Engineering Polymers to create lightweight components in myriad, complex shapes with the stiffness of magnesium or aluminum and higher strength. Nanoparticles are not created at any stage in this process.             

Initial developments are targeted for the sporting goods markets, specifically golf club heads, bicycles and fishing applications and will be lead by David Pierick, PowerMetal’s project manager and polymer industry veteran. Under the agreement, DuPont Engineering Polymers, with global development, R&D and customer-support centers, will provide application development leadership to global customers in the drive to bring this innovative technology to market.

This initiative is part of DuPont Engineering Polymers Advanced Metals Replacement program, which also includes SuperStructural Monolithic Solutions, an array of glass-, carbon- and long-fiber reinforced thermoplastics.

Other partners include Integran Technologies Inc., a privately owned company focused on the development of nanomaterials and Morph Technologies, which is charged to commercialize Integran's proprietary nanomaterial technology for automotive applications.  

Cereplast Turns Up the Heat on Bioplastics with a New High Temperature Thermoforming Resin in its CompostablesTM Resin Family
Cereplast, Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary bio-based sustainable plastics, has launched a new high temperature resistant thermoforming resin, CP-TH-6000, in its Compostables family.

Cereplast now offers 15 different grades of resins in the Compostables for different converting applications. CP-TH-6000 is being marketed at price lower to conventional styrenic thermoformed resin.

Although biodegradable and compostable resins have generated a lot of interest in the past few years, one of the limitations was the temperature resistance that at best reached 140°F. CP-TH-6000 has a high temperature limit of up to 155°F which clearly set it apart from its competitors.

Based on Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) from NatureWorks, CP-TH-6000 is a resin that was engineered over several months by Cereplast's R&D team. Standalone PLA has a heat resistance of about 105°F, while the new engineered resin from Cereplast incorporates nano-technology and proprietary patented process that allows it to reach up to 155°F.

New Overlay Welding Strip from Sandvik Reduces Welding Time
Sandvik has introduced a unique, new welding strip, Sandvik 24.29.5.LCu for overlay welding, which significantly improves welding productivity, reducing the welding time by half.

Suitable for oil and gas applications, such as pipe and tube, heat exchangers as well as chemical plant and vessel repair, the new overlay material is both quick and easy to use and provides an ideal overlay.

Traditionally, 904L overlay welding is carried out with a double pass weld. Use of the new Sandvik material allows the required grade to be reached with one weld, cutting down on previous operational time by around 100 percent, while achieving the required material grade.

The new welding strip is available in coils, 30, 60 or 90 mm wide by 0.5 mm thick. Designed for use with corrosion resistant high-alloy austenitic stainless steels and nickel alloys, the welding strip gives a weld overlay which has good resistance to corrosion from phosphoric and sulphuric acid and sea water. 

Whitehouse Scientific Extends Range of Standards for Particle Characterization by Image Analysis
Microscopy with image analysis is one of the fastest growing new methods of particle characterization, offering the additional measurement of particle shape as well as size.

Whitehouse Scientific has developed a new range of glass calibration microspheres. These include standards for Image Analysis in a variety of new weights and an extension to the range of single size monospheres. The monosphere range now covers sizes from less than 10 micron to more than1 mm. Furthermore, a 1 to 10 micron polydisperse standard can now be used to test the resolving power of the analytical system at very small particle sizes.

New 1:1 Adhesives Offer Simplified Mixing/Dispensing and Longer Open Times
Three Plexus structural adhesives produce strong yet flexible bonds on composites and offer medium to long working times for large assemblies. They require little or no surface preparation and cure at room temperature to tough, durable bonds that withstand service temperatures of - 40°F to 180°F. Two-part structural methacrylates dispensed manually or with standard meter-mix equipment, MA530, MA560-1 and MA590 are 100 percent reactive, non-sagging gels recommended for joining composite assemblies, ABS, acrylics, FRP, gelcoats, polyesters (including DCPD modified), PVC, styrenics and vinyl esters. They are ideal for boats, trucks, buses, architectural ornamentation, wind turbine blades and composite bridges and decks.

MA530 has a working time of 30 to 40 minutes and fills gaps up to 0.70 of an inch.  A 0.03-inch bond line achieves approximately 75 percent of its ultimate shear strength in 90 to 160 minutes at 74°F, according to preliminary testing data. It is available in ready-to-use 400 ml cartridges, 5 gallon pails and 50 gallon drums.

MA560-1 has a longer working time (55 to 70 minutes) and fills gaps up to 1 inch.  It is recommended for large structures as well as small-part assembly where fewer workers are required.  Fixture time for a 0.03-inch bond line is 220 to 240 minutes at 74°F. This adhesive is also recommended for certain metals and many other substrates. It is available in ready-to-use 400 ml cartridges, 5 gallon pails and 50 gallon drums.
 
MA590, with a working time of 90 to 105 minutes, was formulated for building large fiberglass boats but is acceptable for other applications. A 0.03-inch bond line achieves approximately 75 percent of its ultimate shear strength in 180 to 240 minutes at 74°F.  Like MA560-1, this adhesive fills gaps up to 1 inch and is recommended for certain metals in addition to many other substrates. It is available in ready-to-use 400-ml cartridges, 5-gallon pails and 50-gallon drums.

REOTEMP Introduces Series PLG – Plastic Seal Gauge
The REOTEMP Series PLG combines a plastic diaphragm seal with an industrial pressure gauge, creating an isolated pressure sensing solution. This unit comes from the factory mounted, filled and ready for installation.  

The plastic diaphragm seal is suited for chlorine service and other corrosive environments. Applications include plastic piping systems, wastewater treatment, seawater, chemical plants, the plating industry and the fertilizer industry. The diaphragm seal housing is available in PVC, Polyproplene or Kynar. The diaphragm is made of Teflon. This unit has a working temperature range of -22°F to 248°F. The PLG can be filled with silicone (standard), glycerin or mineral oil. Available pressure ranges include 0 to 15 PSI up to 0 to 150 PSI.  

Thermoelectric materials are one key to energy savings
Breathing new life into an old idea, MIT Institute Professor Mildred Dresselhaus and co-workers are developing innovative materials for controlling temperatures that could lead to substantial energy savings by allowing more efficient car engines, photovoltaic cells and electronic devices.

Novel thermoelectric materials have already resulted in a new consumer product, a simple, efficient way of cooling car seats in hot climates. The devices, similar to the more-familiar car seat heaters, provide comfort directly to the individual rather than cooling the entire car, saving on air-conditioning and energy costs.

The research is based on the principle of thermoelectric cooling and heating, which was first discovered in the early 19th century and was advanced into some practical applications in the 1960s by MIT professor (and former president) Paul Gray, among others.

Dresselhaus and colleagues are now applying nanotechnology and other cutting-edge technologies to the field. Thermoelectric devices are based on the fact that when certain materials are heated, they generate a significant electrical voltage. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to them, they become hotter on one side and colder on the other. The process works with a variety of materials and especially well with semiconductors - the materials from which computer chips are made. But it always had one big drawback: it is very inefficient.

The fundamental problem in creating efficient thermoelectric materials is that they need to be very good at conducting electricity but not heat. That way, one end of the apparatus can get hot while the other remains cold, instead of the material quickly equalizing the temperature. In most materials, electrical and thermal conductivity go hand in hand. So, researchers had to find ways of modifying materials to separate the two properties.

The key to making it more practical, Dresselhaus explains, was in creating engineered semiconductor materials in which tiny patterns have been created to alter the materials' behavior. This might include embedding nanoscale particles or wires in a matrix of another material. These nanoscale structures - just a few billionths of a meter across - interfere with the flow of heat, while allowing electricity to flow freely. “Making a nanostructure allows you to independently control these qualities,” Dresselhaus said.

She and her MIT collaborators started working on these developments in the 1990s, and soon drew interest from the US Navy because of the potential for making quieter submarines (power generation and air conditioning are some of the noisiest functions on existing subs).  “From that research, we came up with a lot of new materials that nobody had looked into,” Dresselhaus said.

After some early work conducted with Ted Harman of MIT Lincoln Labs, Harman, Dresselhaus and her student Lyndon Hicks published an experimental paper on the new materials in the mid 1990s. “People saw that paper and the field started,” she said. “Now there are conferences devoted to it.”

Her work in finding new thermoelectric materials, including a collaboration with MIT professor of Mechanical Engineering Gang Chen, invigorated the field, and now there are real applications like seat coolers in cars. Last year, a small company in California sold a million of the units worldwide.

The same principle can be used to design cooling systems that could be built right into microchips, reducing or eliminating the need for separate cooling systems and improving their efficiency.

The technology could also be used in cars to make the engines themselves more efficient. In conventional cars, about 80 percent of the fuel's energy is wasted as heat. Thermoelectric systems could perhaps be used to generate electricity directly from this wasted heat. Because the amount of fuel used for transportation is such a huge part of the world's energy use, even a small percentage improvement in efficiency can have a great impact, Dresselhaus said. “It's very practical, and the car companies are getting interested.”

The same materials might also play a role in improving the efficiency of photovoltaic cells, harnessing some of the sun's heat as well as its light to make electricity. The key will be finding materials that have the right properties but are not too expensive to produce.

Dresselhaus and colleagues are continuing to probe the thermoelectric properties of a variety of semiconductor materials and nanostructures such as superlattices and quantum dots. Her research on thermoelectric materials is presently sponsored by NASA.

Serious Materials Receives $50 Million in Funding to Reduce the Impact of Building Materials on Climate Change Funding
Serious Materials has closed $50 million in additional investment, led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Foundation Capital, along with Rustic Canyon Partners. Serious Materials develops and manufactures sustainable green building materials that considerably reduce the impact of the 'built environment' on the climate.

The investment will be used to build state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities for EcoRock, which will go into production in 2008, ThermaProof high-insulating windows (2008), and to expand the company's successful Quiet product line. EcoRock looks, feels, performs and is used the same way as standard drywall. However, it uses virtually zero energy in its core production resulting in zero CO2 emissions, giving it the lowest carbon footprint of any drywall product by an order of magnitude. Using EcoRock instead of gypsum drywall could reduce US CO2 emissions by 25 billion pounds per year.

The negative consequences of climate change demand a new approach to building materials that are ultra-sustainable, cost-effective and energy-efficient throughout their lifecycle. Manufacturing common building materials including cement, steel, glass and drywall contributes more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all the cars on US roads today.

Mouser Electronics Now Stocking Evox Rifa Capacitors
Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, is stocking products from Evox Rifa, a KEMET company. Evox Rifa specializes in plastic film, paper, and electrolytic capacitors primarily used in the industrial, automotive, consumer electronics and lighting industries.

Mouser will inventory a variety of products including EMI suppressor metalized polypropylene capacitors, general purpose AC/DC metalized paper capacitors, metalized polyester capacitors, and metalized polyphenylene sulfide capacitors. 

Evox Rifa’s PHE840M EMI suppression capacitors are made with self-healing metalized polypropylene. The capacitors are ideal for use as electromagnetic interference suppressors in all 275VAC Class X2 and across-the-line applications. The PME295 series of Y1 EMI suppressor film capacitors are made with self-extinguishing impregnated paper for excellent self-healing properties that ensure long life even when subjected to frequent overvoltages.

Mouser’s broad-based product line, unsurpassed customer service and streamlined warehouse operations make the distributor the design engineer’s one-stop shop for all the components and associated development tools necessary for total project design.

Plastic & Thin Film Photovoltaics 2007
Dec. 6-7
Prague, Czech Republic

This conference will bring together industry experts, manufacturers, researchers and end users for a balanced, comprehensive discussion of the opportunities and challenges surrounding plastic and thin film photovoltaic technologies.