PARTNER INSTITUTION: Concordia University
BACKGROUND
Epoxy materials have industrial applications in various fields ranging from aeronautics, aerospace, automobile, sports equipment, adhesives and sealants, wood products, pipes, boats and reservoirs, trains, and even insulation resins for insulators in electrical lines.
Since most epoxy resins that are currently used are brittle, ongoing projects aim at enhancing the toughness of these materials as well as to improve their barrier resistance performance such as flammability resistance and water resistance. Enhancement in matrix fracture toughness, however, is usually at the expense of mechanical and thermal properties, such as stiffness, strength and glass transition temperature. Therefore, there is a need to develop new composites with higher fracture toughness without jeopardizing other equally important parameters.
TECHNOLOGY
The High Pressure Mixing Method (HPMM) indeed increases the fracture toughness and water absorption resistance without altering the glass transition temperature.
This technology entails a nanoclay dispersing technique whereby the novelty resides in the utilization of mechanical shear force together with collision against obstacles and cavitation to produce instability in the clay aggregates thereby resulting in enhanced exfoliation.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
- Higher modulus
- Increased fracture toughness
- Decreased gas permeability and flammability
- Exceptional temporal stability of composite mixture before the curing process
- Competitive price
- Fulfills all industrial, environmental and regulatory requirements
APPLICATIONS
Used for nanocomposite materials, adhesives, sealants amongst numerous other applications. These materials are in turn used by manufacturers of aircrafts, automobiles, sports equipment, and components for pipes, boats, reservoirs, etc.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE
High temperature resins used in aerospace have been tested with the HPMM and have shown fracture toughness enhancement of 560%. Scaling for industrial production has also been successfully studied.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Looking for strategic partnership with resin producers for making composite materials.
Keywords: Homogenizer, organoclay, nanocomposites, epoxy resins.