Pair to collaborate on nanocomposites

PolyOne Corp and Nanocor have formed a strategic alliance to manufacture and market nanocomposites made from polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride and related polymers.

PolyOne Corp and Nanocor have formed a strategic alliance to manufacture and market nanocomposites made from polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride and related polymers.

PolyOne will manufacture and market nanoclay concentrates and composites, using Nanocor's products and technology.

This technology promotes the inclusion of nanometer-sized clays in plastics, yielding a number of synergistic properties and attributes that were previously difficult to achieve.

Nanocomposites are a new class of plastic compounds created by the combination of nanoclays with neat, compounded or blended polymers.

They can be made by a multitude of processing technologies including injection moulding, extrusion moulding, blow moulding, extrusion and film casting.

Nanoclays are nanometer-sized clay particles.

Nanocomposite technology principally improves stiffness, fire resistance and gas barrier at lower weight than traditional additives.

Nanocomposites also promote greater heat stability and electrical dissipation.

The PolyOne/Nanocor alliance initially will focus on the strength and fire-resistant properties of polyolefin plastics and related polymers such as EVA, TPE, EPDM and nitriles.

Nanocor's superior technology, coupled with PolyOne's compounding expertise, will yield cost-effective and repeatable solutions.

Customers will benefit from composites and concentrates that are easy to process and produce lighter-weight products.

Lighter plastics are attractive in many consumer areas, especially automotive parts, electronic components, appliances and office furniture.

PolyOne will manage all aspects of the sales, marketing and manufacturing of nanoclay concentrates and composites, with assistance from Nanocor's sales personnel.

"Continuing investment in new products, services and technologies to better serve the global marketplace is a strategic imperative at PolyOne", said Chief Technology Officer Roger W Avakian.

"In this spirit, we are very pleased to join with Nanocor, the largest global supplier of nanoclays specifically designed for plastic nanocomposites.

This is a young, rapidly developing field, and we are excited by the opportunity to work with a proven innovator.

We fully expect this collaboration to yield important advances in nanocomposite technology".

In 2002, Nanocor received patents for polyolefin nanocomposites, and the company has additional patents pending.

Coverage includes nanoclay formulations, methods for producing concentrates using these formulations and procedures for dispersing concentrates in polyolefin matrices to create the final compounds.

"Both PolyOne and Nanocor took an active interest in nanotechnology during the early market stages", said Peter Maul, Nanocor President.

"But what's most exciting for us is that PolyOne's level of applications expertise is second to none and complements Nanocor's strengths so well.

Together, our companies can accomplish more much faster than either of us working independently.

PolyOne brings great process expertise and a dimension of scale that is critical to establish nanocomposites in this large-volume market".

In addition to manufacturing and sales activities, the alliance will combine the research and development resources of the respective parties to create new product variations with improved performance.

Development work will take place at PolyOne's Solution Center in Avon Lake, Ohio, and Nanocor's Development Laboratories in Arlington Heights, Ill.

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