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Automotive
Applications
FIBRIL
nanotubes are used to make statically dissipative plastic compounds
that are molded into a variety of automotive parts where toughness and
"Class A" surface are important.
 External
body parts (i.e.. fenders, door handles, mirror housings) that
are electrostatically painted. FIBRIL nanotubes are a key component
of resins that are designed for on-line painting of plastic body panels.
Fuel system components (i.e.. fuel lines, quick connects,
O-rings, filter housings, pump modules) that contact moving fuel and
thus must be electrostatically dissipative to prevent charge build-up.
FIBRIL
Nanotubes Offer Unique Performance Advantages for Automotive Applications.
Greater retention of the base resin’s
toughness (without the use of
impact modifiers). Retention of base resin toughness is critical in
many automotive applications where parts such as fenders and fuel lines
must not exhibit brittle failure in an accident, especially at low temperature.
The low loading of FIBRIL nanotubes needed to give ESD conductivity
ensures that the base resin properties are minimally affected. Eliminating
the need for impact modifiers preserves the high heat resistance that
is needed for resins that are used in on-line painted body panels.
Retention of other key resin properties – again,
the low loading of FIBRIL nanotubes needed to give ESD conductivity
ensures the preservation of important resin properties such as durometer
softness in elastomers, or chemical resistance in polymers used in fuel
systems
Class A smoothness of an as-molded part – the
small size of FIBRIL nantubes ensures that an external body part can
be directly painted right out of the mold without the use of either
a conductive primer or a surfacing primer.
Minimal increase in base resin viscosity – the
low nanotube loading means that the final compound will have a melt
flow very similar to the base resin. This is important in filling large,
long-flow parts like a fender or small, tight-tolerance parts like a
quick connect. It is also important in co-extrusion of high barrier
fuel lines, where the inner layer must be static dissipative.
Uniform
electrical conductivity throughout the part and balanced
shrink/thermal expansion coefficients –
the small size and curvilinear shape of the nanotubes ensures a complete
and random distribution throughout the part.
Related
Articles
Preservation
of Physical Properties (170KB
PDF)
Nanotubes
for Conductive Plastics Move to Next Performance Level (783KB
PDF)
Creating
High Performance Conductive Composites with Carbon Nanotubes
(501
KB PDF)
Carbon
Nanotubes: A High Performance Conductive Additive
(476 KB PDF)
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