merck adds new effect pigment

Bayer reduces carbon nanotubeproduction costs

Plastics Additives & Compounding November/December 2005

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NewsMATERIALS

German company Merck hasintroduced the Colorstream®

T10-04 Lapis Sunlightmulticolour effect pigments.The company says that thecolour travel extends fromgold to silver green and deepblue.The new pigment joins thefour other Colorstream effectpigments that have alreadybeen introduced.According to Merck,Colorstream Lapis Sunlight isbased on syntheticallyproduced transparent silicondioxide platelets that arecoated with titanium dioxide.The perception of the colourchanges depending on theangle of observation. Thecompany adds that the colourchanges are so intensive thatthey can be easily perceivedeven under unfavourable lightconditions.Merck says that the newpigments are suitable for anumber of applications,including thermoplastics.The company adds that thenew Colorstream pigmentoffers a number of stylingpossibilities due to its hightransparency - for example, incombination with otherorganic or inorganiccolourants, as well as othereffect pigments.

Contact:Merck KGaATel: +49 6258 120Website: www.merck.de

Merckadds neweffectpigment

High-quality carbon nanotubes(CNT) can now bemanufactured on an industrialscale at considerably lower costthan ever before, claims BayerMaterialScience AG. Thecompany says that it has plansto market the nano-sizedmaterials worldwide under thetrade name Baytubes®. Thenew process for manufacturingBaytubes was developed incollaboration with BayerTechnology Services GmbH, aBayer Group service companywith expertise in processtechnology.Until now, the high price of upto �1,000.00 per kilogram andthe fluctuating productionquality prevented morewidespread use of nanotubes."For the first time, we canachieve consistent materialpurity of over 99% and

significantly reducemanufacturing costs," saysMartin Schmid, head of theCarbon Nanotubes project atBayer MaterialScience. "Addingjust small quantities ofBaytubes can make a plastic carfender so electrically conductivethat it can be painted withoutany further pre-treatment,using environmentally friendlywaterborne or powder coatings.In a similar manner, we canmake films for antistaticpackaging materials, such asthose used for sophisticatedelectronic components."Another possibility is theelectromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding of computerand mobile telephone housings.In the future, CNTs could alsoimprove the thermalconductivity of ceramiccomponents in turbines.

"Baytubes brand carbonnanotubes are multi-walledtubes comprising up to 15graphite layers. Chemicallyspeaking, the material isidentical to pencil lead," says Dr.Sigurd Buchholz, project head atBayer Technology Services."The nanotubes have amaximum mean diameter of 50nanometres, meaning they aremore than 10,000 times thinnerthan a human hair. If one ofthese tubes were enlarged to thesize of a drinking straw, it wouldbe up to 250 meters long."Custom-made CNTs withdifferent diameters, lengths andwall thicknesses can be producedfor any application by selectingthe corresponding catalyst.

Contact:Bayer MaterialScience AGWebsite: www.baytubes.de.

Nanocyl adds to nanotube rangeBelgian company Nanocyl hasintroduced the NC9000 seriesof carbon nanotubes. ThisNanocyl patented process,originally developed at thedepartment of Prof. PhilippeDubois of the University ofMons-Hainaut, is the basis forthe production of this new lineof products. The company saysthat the NC9000 series offers ahigh-concentration of pre-dispersed carbon nanotubes inpolymers - enabling easyhandling and dispersion of thecarbon nanotube for a variety ofindustrial applications. The new line of productsincludes a grade based on high-density polyethylene and is sold

as Nanocyl® 9000. Available inconcentrations up to 50%,Nanocyl adds that it is currentlydeveloping this blend in otherplastics - including engineeredpolymers.According to the company, thefirst potential application forthe NC9000 series nanotubecomposite is as an additive forthermoplastics materials whereantistatic or conductiveproperties are required.Industry sectors concernedmost immediately for thisproduct line are theautomotive, electronics andchemical processing industries.Examples of applicationsinclude silicon wafer handling

equipment and automotive fuelsystems.According to Olivier Decroly,global business developmentmanager at Nanocyl: "After aninitial trial period during thefirst quarter of 2006, Nanocylwill scale-up the productionvolume to meet customerneeds. This is a major stepforward in the furtherdevelopment of the carbonnanotubes supply chain. We areconfident that this uniqueproduct line will help theindustry to adopt the carbonnanotubes."Contact:Nanocyl S.A.Website: www.nanocyl.com