Organic nanoparticles from LANXESS now ready for series production
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LANXESS AG has developed a polymer additive for plastics and rubber that is now available for industrial application. These microgels, which consist of nanoscale organic particles, can be used to improve the material properties of elastomer and thermoplastic materials.
In the course of the product’s many years of development, the LANXESS Technical Rubber Products and Rhein Chemie business units have worked together closely and applied for numerous patents. These cover the processing method, the use of nanoparticles in rubber mixtures and the impact on thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. The Technical Rubber Products business unit markets these nanoscale particles under the registered trademark Nanoprene, while Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH sells the additive under the brand name Micromorph. After close co-operation between Rhein Chemie company and the Japanese tire manufacturer Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd., the first major series application of the rubber additive is in the production of winter tires. Different Nanoprene grades can be used to satisfy different requirement profiles for tires (e.g. summer and winter tires) and various tire components (tread, side wall, carcass, etc.) in line with their glass transition temperature.
In practice, comprehensive tests conducted by LANXESS have shown that using Nanoprene in summer tires, for example, improves dry road grip by between 10 and 15 percent. What’s more, adding Nanoprene also improves the stiffness of the tread blocks, which has a positive impact on the cornering properties under aquaplaning conditions. The abrasion resistance of tire treads containing Nanoprene is also much higher than those based on standard silica mixtures. The test results show that Nanoprene increases the service life of tires significantly.
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