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SUMMARY
OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE OF THIS REPORTThis report focuses on polymer nanocomposites and their uses. There has beenenormous interest in the commercialization of nanocomposites for a variety ofapplications, and several of these applications will be successful in the nearfuture.Mineral fillers, metals, and fibers have been added to thermoplastics andthermosets for decades to form composites. Compared to neat resins, thesecomposites have a number of improved properties including tensile strength, heatdistortion temperature, and modulus. Thus, for structural applications,composites have become very popular and are sold in billion pound quantities.These filled thermoplastics are sold in even larger volumes than neatthermoplastics. Furthermore, the volume of fillers sold is roughly equal to thevolume of thermoplastic resin sold. Clearly, the idea of adding fillers tothermoplastics and thermosets to improve properties, and in some cases decreasecosts, has been very successful for many years. More recently, with advances in synthetic techniques and the ability toreadily characterize materials on an atomic scale has lead to interest innanometer-size materials. Since nanometer-size grains, fibers and plates havedramatically increased surface area compared to their conventional-sizematerials, the chemistry of these nanosized materials is altered compared toconventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites combine these two concepts, i.e., composites andnanometer-size materials. Thermoplastics filled with nanometer-size materialshave different properties than thermoplastics filled with conventionalmaterials. Some of the properties of nanocomposites, such as increased tensilestrength, may be achieved by using higher conventional filler loading at theexpense of increased weight and decreased gloss. Other properties ofnanocomposites such as clarity or improved barrier properties cannot beduplicated by filled resins at any loading. Polymer nanocomposites were developed in the late 1980s in both commercialresearch organizations and academic laboratories. The first company tocommercialize these nanocomposites was Toyota, which used nanocomposite parts inone of its popular car models for several years. Following Toyota's lead, anumber of other companies also began investigating nanocomposites. Most commercial interest in nanocomposites has focused on thermoplastics.Thermoplastics can be broken into two groups: less expensive commodity resinsand more expensive (and higher performance) engineering resins. One of the goalsof nanocomposites was to allow substitution of more expensive engineering resinswith a less expensive commodity resin nanocomposite. Substituting ananocomposite commodity resin with equivalent performance as a more expensiveengineering resin should yield overall cost savings. By a strict definition of nanocomposites, i.e., any filler submicron in size,there already are significant volumes of nanocomposites being produced. Theseamount to more than 20 million pounds. However, since these fillers are on theupper end of the nanocomposite size range, most sources have excluded them fromconsideration. This report covers these products but does not add their volumesinto aggregate numbers of nanocomposite markets or production volumes to complywith the established convention. At this point in time, there has been much less commercial interest inthermoset nanocomposites compared to thermoplastics. This neglect may notcontinue much longer since thermoset nanocomposites have some distinctadvantages over neat thermoset resins. This report covers some possible marketsfor thermoset nanocomposites. This report summarizes the nanocomposite products that have been developed,and covers those thermoplastics that probably will be developed into ananocomposite. This report also covers applications for these nanocomposites,and estimates possible future markets for these materials. Armed with thisinformation, readers with business interests then can make sound judgmentsregarding marketing strategies, investment decisions, or strategic plansconcerning the market for polymer nanocomposites. This report has been writtento be readily accessible to those readers with business backgrounds, butaccuracy concerning the technical aspects of polymer nanocomposite manufacturehas not been sacrificed. REASONS FOR THIS STUDYWhile there has been much ballyhoo in the popular press concerning the wondersof polymer nanocomposites, it is difficult to get solid information on how manyof these nanocomposites are being produced and sold. Furthermore, many articleshave presented wildly misleading information concerning the manufacture of thesematerials, their markets and applications. This report offers a timely pictureof trends in polymer nanocomposites that cannot be obtained from other sources.CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDYThis report shows the current size (negligible) and the future size of thepolymer nanocomposites market in the U.S. Since the U.S. probably will becomethe dominant producer, and is one of the largest markets for polymernanocomposites worldwide, this report focuses heavily on trends in the U.S.Readers of this report will be able to distinguish between the hype concerninguses of polymer nanocomposites and the reality of the market. A number ofpotentially significant polymer nanocomposites markets have received relativelylittle press, and many of the published articles concerning the uses of thesematerials do not provide an accurate picture.SCOPE AND FORMATTo generate the information necessary to construct a reasonable future marketfor polymer nanocomposites, it is necessary to take a hard-headed look at thepotential advantages and pitfalls of the current crop of these materials ascompared with conventionally-filled polymers. This report does not delve intothe likelihood of exotic new forms of transportation. instead, it is restrictedto possible replacements of existing conventional materials by polymernanocomposites. Applications of nanocomposite materials that are possible withinfive to 10 years also are discussed.This report categorizes two types of polymer nanocomposites:- thermoplastic nanocomposites: these materials are broken into two majorcategories, i.e., commodity resins and engineering resins. The potential ofpolymer nanocomposite commodity resin is covered for each resin. Engineeringresin nanocomposites are restricted to resins that have been under development.
- thermoset nanocomposites: thermoset nanocomposites have received lesscommercial interest in their development than thermoplastic nanocomposites, butthese materials may be relatively straightforward to bring into production.Furthermore, thermoset nanocomposites can offer some significant advantages overconventional thermosets.
The report is broken into six sections.First there is an overview that gives the broad details of polymernanocomposites, along with some of their physical properties and manufacturingmethods. Next, there is an extensive description of the industry that isdeveloping polymer nanocomposites. This includes clay manufacturers, mineralfiller manufacturers, thermoplastic resin producers and compounders, along withcompany profiles. Following this industry structure, there is a briefdescription of the government and academic laboratories that have been doingextensive research in polymer nanocomposites. Then there is a description ofpolymer nanocomposites by filler and resin type. After a products section, thereis a description of the markets for polymer nanocomposites including futuretrends. The report concludes with a section on patents that have been filedpertaining to polymer nanocomposites.METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES OF INFORMATIONThis report is the end result of four months of concerted effort by the author.The primary information sources for this report came from interviews withseveral dozen people in industry, academe and the government. The author alsoattended meetings and conferences, and much precious insight was gained fromthese sources as well. Many of the people interviewed are recognized authoritiesin the field, and provided invaluable assistance. I would like to thank all whotook the time to speak with me for their help with this project.Since this study was not commissioned by any corporation or individual, theauthor's brief in writing it was to be as objective as possible. Secondary sources used for this report include a number of publicationsissued by the federal government, including items on the Internet, corporateliterature, and publications in peer-reviewed literature. Any time an estimate for a number has been made, the underlying assumptionsare discussed. Thus, if a reader chooses to interpret the raw data in adiffering manner, it is possible to do so. Dollar amounts are in constant 1999dollars, and average annual growth rates (AAGRs) are calculated using standardtables. TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Title
- INTRODUCTION
- OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
- REASONS FOR THIS STUDY
- CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY
- SCOPE AND FORMAT
- METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- RELATED REPORTS AND AUTHOR'S CREDENTIALS
- BCC ON-
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