From: "Heide Roth" To: manias@psu.edu Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 10:16:05 -0400 With our compliments, to follow please find a recent issue of our publication, 'High-Tech Materials Alert,' in which your company appeared. 'High-Tech Materials Alert' informs clients of advances that have a near-term effect on high-tech materials users and producers-such as fabrication advances, new software, and where these materials are finding new applications. Reports on US patents for new materials processes with commercial importance. TECHNICAL INSIGHTS ALERT Phone: 212-850-8600 HIGH-TECH MATERIALS ALERT APRIL 6, 2001 Use of this information is determined by license agreement; any unauthorized use is prohibited. Copyright 2001, Frost & Sullivan ISSN 0741-0808 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NANODISPERSED CLAY MAKES COMMON PLASTICS PERFORM BETTER Pennsylvania State University has recently highlighted the achievements of a group of materials scientists in developing higher performance plastics by adding a small amount (1% to 5%) of clay. Clay is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fillers, and can boost the performance of common plastics to the level of novelty polymers. The group, which is led by Evangelos Manias, shows us in journals such as Chemistry of Materials and Macromolecules that the nanometer dispersions of only a small amount of clay, such as montmorillonite (already used in paints and cosmetics), makes plastics less permeable to liquids and gases, more flame retardant, and tougher. Inorganic clays and polymers mix about as well as oil and water, so the Penn State researchers first treat the clays with organic surfactants that enable fine dispersions (on the nanoscale) of clay in polymer blends. The clay can be added at the final stages of polymer processing without changing current industrial practices or equipment. HTMA recently caught up with Professor Manias at the Nanostructured Polymer Lab, where he is director, to find out more about this project. Manias said that several of these polymer composites are already in production for commercial use, such as PET/montmorillonite nanocomposites for plastic beer bottles. This application exploits the enhanced oxygen diffusion barrier properties afforded by the clay. In addition, chip makers and aircraft manufacturers can take advantage of the composites' higher flame retardancy. Especially since environmental concerns are driving the effort to replace bromine-containing fire-retardant additives now used in applications in those industries. Since there are patents pending and commercial relationships being established, Manias was unable to go into great detail about the specifics of composites that are being explored for real applications. He did say that he and his colleagues are developing fundamental design principles for achieving multiple enhanced properties in any polymer system of interest. Some aspects of this technology are available for joint venture and collaboration with Penn State. Details: Evangelos Manias, Director, Nanostructured Polymer Laboratory, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State, 325-D Steidle Bldg., University Park, PA 16802. Phone: 814-863-2980. Fax: 814-865-2917. E-mail: manias@psu.edu. URL: zeus.plmsc.psu.edu/~manias/. M010068 70501 Copyright 2001, Frost & Sullivan, New York, NY 10006