Carbon Capture and Utilization Can Enable Low-Carbon Concrete Production, Says IDTechEx
New European grant confirms PulPac’s global ownership of Dry Molded Fiber
PulPac, RISE and AR Packaging in Dry Molded Fiber upscaling and validation consortium
PulPac granted additional Dry Molded Fiber patent in Japan
Composites Additive Manufacturing: 10-Fold Market Growth Within 10-Years, Says IDTechEx
Full-Scale Commercial Production of TOYOLAC ABS Resin at the New Facilities set up at Toray Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn
Electrically Conductive Adhesives Set to Impact the Electronics Industry, According to New IDTechEx Research
3D Printing Composites Will be a $2 billion Industry Within the Next Decade, Says IDTechEx
PulPac and HS Manufacturing Group cooperates in sustainable Dry Molded Fiber barrier technologies
Toray Opens Resins Technical Center in Europe
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NAWAStitch Brings Game-Changing Strength to Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Team’s New Carbon-Fiber Race Wheels
NAWA, pioneers of advanced nano-material technology, is delighted to officially announce it is a key partner of the Santa Cruz Syndicate in 2021, with the world’s leading downhill mountain bike team using its next-generation carbon fiber-reinforcing technology for its ultra-strong composite racing wheels. The competition-only Reserve rims feature NAWA’s materials concept, NAWAStitch, which employs unique, strengthening nano-technology. Enabling Santa Cruz to create a downhill mountain bike wheel that is not only more resistant to strike damage than conventional carbon fiber but has far greater sheer strength too, NAWAStitch has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of wheel failures experienced by the team over a competitive season by 80%. This leap in performance results from integrating nano-sized tubes between the composite layers of the wheel. Called vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT), these are manufactured by NAWA using a patented process and, when applied to composites, add superior strength to the structure. For the Reserve wheels, the NAWAStitch material consists of a thin film containing trillions of VACNT, arranged perpendicular to the carbon fiber layers. Acting as ‘nano-velcro’, the tubes reinforce the weakest part of a composite: the interface between the layers. Eliminating the probability that a crack will occur in the interface, NAWAStitch greatly improves strike damage resistance – and, in its own tests, NAWA has found that NAWAStitch-reinforced carbon fiber composites have shear strength increased by a factor of 100 and shock resistance by a factor of 10. In development by the Santa Cruz Syndicate since 2017, the NAWAStitch-enhanced Reserve wheels were first used in the 2018 World Cup Downhill season. Now entering their fourth competitive season – ridden again in 2021 by Greg Minnaar, the most winning Men’s Elite Downhill rider in history, and Luca Shaw – the Santa Cruz Syndicate has experienced enormous benefits. Senior composites engineer Nic McCrae, from Santa Cruz explains: “In downhill racing, the wheels suffer hard, repeated impacts with rocks and roots. Failures occur when the tire bottoms out and the rim bead cracks. NAWAStitch has made the wheels much stronger, we believe by increasing the buckling resistance of the inner surface of the rims during these high compressions. “We’ve had far fewer wheel failures as a result. What’s more, NAWAStitch does not affect the way wheels respond to the riders’ inputs – they behave completely consistently, which allows them to push harder and go faster. Through a combination of our own profile design, precise wheel-building and the introduction of NAWAStitch, our Reserve wheels are without doubt the strongest rims on the circuit.” NAWAStitch technology has been incorporated in all Syndicate team competition rims for the last four years, with the long-term goal of being able to use NAWAStitch in future mass-production Reserve wheels. Pascal Boulanger, Founder, Chairman of the board, CTO of NAWA Technologies said: “We are delighted to officially announce that NAWA is one of the key partners of the Santa Cruz Syndicate and what more challenging environment than the MTB Downhill World Cup. NAWAStitch brings game-changing improvements in the core strength of composite materials and we are very proud to see its considerable performance benefits coming to the fore in the team’s Reserve race wheels. We look forward to working with Santa Cruz Syndicate and wish them every success in competition.” Development of multifunctional ultra-strong composites, such as NAWAStitch, is led by NAWA’s NAWA America division, based in Dayton, Ohio. NAWA America was created by the acquisition of the assets of the US leader in VACNT for composite applications, N12 Technologies, in 2020. The division has an established collaboration with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and a technology licensing agreement with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition to supporting the Santa Cruz Syndicate in the development of its competition-only Reserve wheels, NAWA America is finalizing development of NAWAStitch for use in volume industrial applications, and expects to ramp-up to full production by next year. In the short term, first markets will be sporting equipment, consumer products and luxury goods, while longer-term prospects are in automotive and aerospace. Combined with its home facility in France, NAWA Technologies will offer a wider portfolio of solutions to its customers, combining lighter, stronger and smarter composites and energy storage.
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Kordsa presents its new generation composites technologies at the JEC Composites Connect 2021 virtual fair
The global player of tire, construction reinforcement and composites technologies market Kordsa participated in JEC World 2021, the world's largest fair in the field of composites, which was held virtually between 1-3 June. Kordsa, exporting technology to the world with global cooperations and its innovation mindset, held 2 engaging webinars within the scope of the fair. In the first webinar, Kordsa's Market Development Manager Elif Erdoğan shared information about Kordsa’s new generation composite technologies, stemming from Company’s “inspired, we reinforce life" vision. Honeycomb panels, high quality prepregs, adhesives, surface films were the leading and noticeable topics of Kordsa's wide range of new generation solutions presented at the webinar. At the second webinar by Wylie Simpson, Ceramics Engineer of Kordsa's USA-based company Axiom Materials, Simpson gave a presentation titled "Choosing Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) for Your Next Critical Application at High Temperature". He provided detailed information on target applications in hypersonic, industrial furnaces and refineries. Axiom Materials is the world's largest manufacturer of high temperature resistant Oxide-Oxide ceramic prepregs. As the sponsor of the JEC World virtual fair, Kordsa has also sponsored the JEC Innovation Awards rewarding innovations that shape the industry. Making a speech at the award ceremony, Deniz Korkmaz, Kordsa’s Composite Technologies Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa region stated that with its “Inspired, we reinforce life” vision Kordsa’s composites capabilities reached beyond the World and continued: “Our sphere of influence has expanded to outer space. We are content to reinforce NASA's Orion spacecraft built to take humans farther than they have ever gone before.” Stating also that they worked on sustainable technologies Korkmaz added, “At Kordsa, we are inspired from life, and with this inspiration, we place sustainability at the center of our activities. While our composite products provide sustainability by definition, we also cooperate with leading companies in the industry for a sustainable future. TRB Lightweight Structures, a global high-volume composites manufacturer company, uses Kordsa's carbon fiber fabrics to lighten composite battery enclosures for EVs. We are proud to contribute to sustainable transportation solutions with our composite technologies and contribute to sustainable transformation of mobility.” Murat Oğuz Arcan, Chief Operating Officer for Composites at Kordsa said: “As Kordsa, we are growing decisively and reinforcing more and more areas every day, with our long-standing experience, strong synergy between our business lines, our R&D power, the right investments and collaborations. With our flexible and agile structure that updates itself with the new trends and adapts to change in the best way possible, we have always been and continue to be a company pioneering through exemplary breakthroughs in the industries we are in. Latest topics in the industries we serve, such as mobility, sustainability, circular economy and electrification are at the top of our agenda. We are transforming standards and shaping the future with our work and innovations in all of these areas.” Arcan also stated that Kordsa takes every step passionately towards its goal to create a convenient, safe, efficient and sustainable world with the tire, construction reinforcement and composite technologies it has developed,“In the composites business, we continue to deepen our competencies and expand our sphere of influence with our four important US-based companies and our Composite Technologies Center of Excellence . With our experience and knowledge in advanced material technologies, we are reinforcing our technology leadership in this market by developing innovative composite technologies in line with our objective to create a sustainable future. Today, we touch every corner of life and reinforce every corner of life. Our goal to create a second Kordsa in composite technologies remains,” he said.
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Packaging redesign could reduce global plastic demand by 20% by 2050
Plastic packaging redesign, which includes elimination, substitution and reuse approaches, could reduce global plastic packaging demand in 2050 from 190MT to 150MT, according to a new analysis from Wood Mackenzie’s Cross-Polymer Demand Model. This represents a decrease of 20% in 2050 and would save as much as 425MT plastic from entering the waste stream in the forecast period. This is the equivalent of more than 20 trillion plastic bottles and takeaway containers. As noted in Wood Mackenzie’s report, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used in water bottles, is the polymer most at risk from packaging redesign because single-use drinks bottles can easily be displaced by reuseable alternatives. Timur Zilbershteyn, Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst, said : “One lever of plastic packaging redesign currently gaining a significant amount of consumer and brand attention is reuse. Unlike elimination efforts, reuse models do not mean that packaging materials disappear. Instead, the selection of materials and the durability of end-use products change. “Reuse models are commonly used in industrial settings but are fairly immature in most consumer markets. Current examples in the industry include Unilever’s largest refill trial in Europe and SodaStream’s home soda water machines. “With consumers pushing companies to improve their environmental credentials and governments committing to climate goals by mid-decade, there is currently a lot of energy going into exploring different reuse business models within the plastic packaging industry.” Wood Mackenzie’s chemicals researchers ran a scenario to assess which plastic packaging applications could be most impacted by a reuse business model. The scenario assumes that rigid applications are more exposed to reuse displacement than flexible packaging, with bottles and thin-wall plastic containers likely to be at the forefront of any change. Additionally, reuse models are likely to see higher levels of adoption in high-income countries where the necessary infrastructure is more likely to already be in place. If current levels of interest in reuse models are maintained and technological, economic and regulatory trends align, Wood Mackenzie says that 5% of global plastic packaging demand could be displaced in 2040 vesus its base forecast, rising to 12% in high-income countries. Zilbershteyn added: “As the world looks for alternatives to single-use plastic items, reuse models will become a key instrument in the toolkit of responses that packaging companies can choose from. “Given the higher-exposure of rigid applications, our scenario reveals that PET, polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) are the polymers that will be most impacted by a rise in reuse. “For PET and especially PP, the decrease in shorter duration packaging demand is partially offset by the demand for reusable packaging. To increase durability, this packaging will generally have thicker walls and therefore require more polymer per unit. However, the net impact is negative for polymer demand, even accounting for the additional polymer required for these applications. As noted in the Wood Mackenzie report, current experimentation is mostly – though not exclusively – focussed in high-income economies, driven by consumer concerns, lower price sensitivity and regulatory trends. Commercialisation of these models is almost certainly expected to scale in these markets first. Reuse models require value chains to reorganise in order to provide consumers with cost effective, sustainable and – crucially – convenient packaging solutions. Logistics, technology, product design and communications all need to come together to secure market share for reuse models.
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Toray Innovates CO2 Separation Membrane Incorporating Porous Carbon Fiber
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has innovated a carbon dioxide (CO2) separation membrane with a dual all-carbon structure. This comprises a hollow fiber porous carbon fiber as a support and a thin carbon membrane separation layer on the surface. The membrane offers superb CO2 separation performance and high durability. It is more suitable than conventional inorganic separation membranes for making facilities more compact. Toray will step up R&D to deploy this separation membrane in social infrastructure. CO2 separation technology is vital to using CO2 to help materialize a circular carbon economy. This technology commonly employs absorption- and adsorption-based facilities. The issue with such setups, however, is that they consume too much energy. This situation fueled worldwide research into energy-efficient membrane separation techniques. Separation layers with pores smaller than one nanometer offer better gas permeability because they are thinner, but the lower pressure resistance necessitates combining with a support layer. Regular inorganic support layers are hard and brittle, and the diameters cannot be reduced, preventing dense module packing and miniaturization. Toray created a porous carbon fiber with a continuous pore structure in 2019. This fiber can provide a support layer for gas separation membranes that offer excellent gas permeability and chemical and heat resistance by creating a hollow fiber. The company’s new CO2 separation membrane employs a thin, hollow-fiber porous carbon fiber with a diameter of less than 300 micrometers as a support layer. On the surface is a uniform carbon film separation layer just a few micrometers thick. With the support and separation layers independent, this separation membrane delivers excellent CO2 separation and durability. The membrane is flexible and incredibly thin, enabling continuous production just like with regular fibers. The high density packing enables module miniaturization. CO2 permeability can be five times greater than that of conventional inorganic CO2 separation membrane modules with the same volume. One prospective use for Toray’s new separation membrane is natural gas and biogas purification. It could also serve in hydrogen production and purification, exhaust gas CO2 separation, and other gas separation applications by taking advantage of the selectivity of functional layers according to the gases to be separated. Toray will draw on the innovation hub capabilities of the R&D Innovation Center for the Future at the Shiga Plant, where the company started out in 1926, to pursue strategic open innovation by engaging with academic institutions and key partners from diverse fields and commercializing more advanced gas separation membranes. The company looks to help the world balance greenhouse gas emissions and absorption in line with the Toray Group Sustainability Vision and Toray Vision 2030 by leveraging its innovative technologies and advanced materials. In keeping with its corporate philosophy of “contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products,” Toray will keep helping to resolve environmental, resources, and energy issues and continue to pursue R&D to achieve carbon neutrality.
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US breakthrough for sustainable packaging company PulPac
Today the US Patent Office announced a grant for one of PulPac´s most general patents, stating that Dry Molded Fiber is invented and duly owned by the Swedish scale-up company. The United States is the world´s second largest packaging consumer market, after China. The same patent application was recently approved in Japan, the world’s third largest economy with a strong position in packaging and industrial development. Relatedly, China and Europe granted another important PulPac patent application earlier this year. PulPac’s Dry Molded Fiber is a patented manufacturing technology – using renewable pulp and cellulose resources to produce low cost, high performance, fiber-based packaging, and single-use products. Dry Molded Fiber gives up to 80-90% lower CO2 footprint at the same or lower cost as plastic. It enables high-speed manufacturing and can replace most packaging and single-use products presently made of plastics. “Our duty to the planet is to spread this technology as fast and wide as we can. To achieve this, we are setting out to scale quickly through licensing. To empower the efforts further we have formed an open source alliance called the Dry Molded Fiber Technology Pool that welcomes any converter, brand or supplier in plastics or fiber that wish to grow with, and support the advancement in the Dry Molded Fiber process,” comments Linus Larsson, CEO of PulPac. Licensing from an independent technology provider is a proven business model for massive scale-up of new industrial technologies. With more than ten licensees at present and over 80 million dollars invested in the technology globally, the Dry Molded Fiber Technology Pool has entered the learning curve with a clear target to make circular fiber more cost effective than plastic in packaging. “Together, we will win on price and sustainability against plastics. We will reduce global CO2 emissions from the industry with at least 5 million tons by 2025 while conserving precious water resources,” claims Larsson. Earlier this year, PulPac, PA Consulting, and Seismic Solutions joined forces to encourage brands and manufacturers to replace single-use plastics with sustainable, affordable, Dry Molded Fiber products and accelerate the transition towards circular economy. “The United States patent grant further validates the technology and represents another meaningful milestone on PulPac’s mission to eliminate single use plastics. Seismic Solutions is proud to partner with PulPac and PA Consulting as part of their commitment to packaging innovation and sustainability,” comments Kent Dahlgren, General Manager at Seismic Solutions. Phil Fawcus, Sustainable Packaging Lead at PA Consulting, said: “Dry Molded Fiber is a unique technology that is playing a critical global role in delivering sustainable packaging at volumes needed to significantly impact plastics reduction. We are delighted this world changing technology has now been recognised with patents in the US, Japan, China and Europe.” It is a giant mission to disrupt a trillion-dollar industry, but Dry Molded Fiber is one of the candidates leading the race for sustainable packaging. “PulPac is here to support the global transformation to fiber with many more advancement innovations to come,” Larsson concludes.
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Highly Breathable Model of LIVMOA Disposable Personal Protective Clothing Proven to Reduce Heat Stress
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that evaporative thermal resistance testing has confirmed that the fabric in LIVMOA™3000, a highly breathable model of disposable personal protective clothing, reduces heat stress. The company designed this apparel to optimize safety and comfort. Assistant Professor Tomonori Sakoi of Shinshu University’s Faculty of Textile Science and Technology supervised this testing. Protective clothing normally increases such stress because it shields the body from the surroundings, impeding heat release. Hot environments in which the risks of heat stroke are high make it hard to dissipate body heat from temperature differences with surroundings, so perspiration becomes the prime means for cooling. Evaporative thermal resistance testing looks at the ease with which perspiration evaporates and the impact on heat stress. The test found that the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) index, a benchmark for heat stress, showed a corrected value of 0° for LIVMOA™3000, the same as for regular clothing, and that this Toray fabric lowers heat stress more during work than general-purpose protective clothing The company accordingly believe that its apparel can help guard against heat stroke. - LIVMOA™ 3000 LIVMOA™3000 offers greater air permeability than items with equivalent dust protection capabilities. Testing also confirmed that this product is better than counterparts at lowering heat stress when work movements generate air flows inside the garment. Project AP-G 2022, Toray’s medium-term management program, has prioritized the Life Innovation Business Expansion Project. That undertaking aims to help boost the quality of medical care, longevity, and public health around the world. Toray will endeavor in view of the test findings to help materialize safer and more comfortable work environments by marketing LIVMOA™3000 to the manufacturing and construction sectors, where heat protection is essential in summer.
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Toray to Launch Toraysee Bento Box Pre-Washing Cloths that Make Lunch Box Care Immensely Easier
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will launch the Toraysee™ Bento Box Pre-Washing Cloth exclusively in Japan in mid-May. This 7.5cm x 10cm item will retail at ¥200, including tax. The ultra-fine fibers of this cloth easily remove stuck-on rice and grease from these Japanese lunch boxes when pre-washing under tap water. This item will be available at supermarkets and drugstores and through online and Toray shops around the nation. The cloth will benefit a growing number of people refraining from dining out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing lunches themselves to consume at work and other places. An immediate issue is that taking dirty lunch boxes home makes them harder to clean. They often need washing twice. In warmer seasons, odors and bacteria from food scraps are also concerns. Toray accordingly developed the concept of pre-washing lunch boxes right after eating and applied it to Toraysee. That brand that debuted in 1987 to offer advanced cleaning performance for eyewear and now covers numerous popular products. Use this small reusable cloth to pre-wash a lunch box while at work or out and about to so it is much easier to clean when getting home. Then wring the cloth to dry quickly. It is easy to store. Toray seeks 25 people in Japan to serve as ambassadors for the Toraysee Temporary Bento Box Cleaning Cloth (see the following page for details). [Product features] 1. Easily pre-wash a lunch box at work or when out and about and a sponge and detergent are unavailable The cloth draws on Toray’s polymer chemical technology. The fibers are around 2 microns in diameter, for a cross-section that is about 1/1,600th that of a human hair. This item easily removes stuck-on rice and other food residues and stubborn oil stains from plastics for simple rinsing with water. The cloth also dries fast and requires little storage space. • Makes washing lunch boxes far easier after getting home • Greatly reduces dishwashing detergent consumption • Lunch boxes pre-washed with Toraysee can go straight into a dishwasher 2. The cloth incorporates MAKSPEK, a proprietary fiber that keeps items safe and clean by inhibiting the growth of escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus and, pneumoniae bacteria. 3. The Biomedical Science Association, a Japanese nonprofit organization, conducted a study that revealed that lunch boxes pre-washed with this cloth had 99% less bacteria contamination than those left untouched after meals and simply brought home. A Toray survey found that 88% of respondents using the cloths said that they did not particularly notice odors from lunch boxes after bringing them home. Seeking Toraysee Bento Box Pre-Washing Cloth ambassadors! We are looking for around 25 people to serve as Toraysee Bento Box Pre-Washing Cloth ambassadors. These people will use this cloth and post photos and videos of it on their social media accounts. On completing this task, all ambassadors will receive a Toraysee household cleaning cloth, with one being selected by lottery to receive an 18cm Geo Product saucepan, whose lid creates a vapor seal for waterless cooking that saves time and energy while maintaining nutrition and taste. Use the website below for application details. https://www.toraysee.toray/general/product/senyou/sen_011_02.html
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PulPac and Dan-Web partners in airlaid technologies for Dry Molded Fiber
PulPac and Dan-Web partners in airlaid technologies developing standardized machinery for Dry Molded Fiber to replace single-use plastics with affordable fiber-based alternatives The partnership will combine Dan-Web’s extensive know-how, engineering capabilities and technologies in airlaid with the Dry Molded Fiber process. The Dry Molded Fiber standardized defibration unit, called “Mill-to-Web”, will be optimized for packaging and ready for food-grade production. PulPac’s “Dry Molded Fiber” is a patented manufacturing technology for the circular economy – using renewable pulp and cellulose resources to produce low cost, high performance, fiber-based packaging, and single-use products. Dry Molded Fiber gives up to 80-90% lower CO2 footprint at the same or lower cost as plastic. Dan-Web has extensive capabilities in engineering, designing, and building standardized components for defibration as well as customized machines and production lines. Like PulPac, Dan-Web is committed to bring sustainable solutions to the market and the parties will work together to develop machinery, technologies and solutions for the Dry Molded Fiber community. “With close to fifty years’ experience in airlaid and fiber production methods we are proud to be on the frontline in Dry Molded Fiber, a cutting edge production process developed by PulPac, which we believe could be instrumental in fiber’s ability to replace single-use plastics at scale”, says Kurt Sørensen, owner and CEO at Dan-Web. Compared to traditional bespoke airlaid machinery, Dan-Web’s newly developed standardized Mill-to-Web offers a compact and modular defibration unit suitable for many applications and scalable within Dry Molded Fiber. “We are truly impressed with Dan-Web’s immense know-how and expertise in airlaid and fiber production lines and are proud of the empowerment brought to the Dry Molded Fiber community with the introduction of efficient and scalable defibration units, optimized to work with modular production platforms“, says Ove Larsson, founder and Chief Technology Officer at PulPac.
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Toray Creates Carbon Fiber Composite Material with Excellent Heat Dissipation that Enables Flexible Thermal Management Design
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a high thermal conductivity technology that lifts the heat-dissipating properties of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to that of metals. Applying this technology to CFRP dissipates heat effectively from their sources through thermal conduction paths inside that material. This helps suppress battery degradation in mobility applications while boosting performance in electronic device applications. Common applications for this light, strong, and rigid plastic are aircraft, automobiles, infrastructure components, sporting goods, and electronic devices. There is a great need to boost the heat dissipation of CFRP as a structural material in advanced mobility services collectively called CASE (for connected, autonomous, shared, and electric) to prevent batteries from deteriorating because of heat building up during charging. CFRP is less thermally conductive than aluminum alloys and other metals. This has prompted efforts to enhance heat dissipation by employing external or internal graphite sheets offering excellent thermal conductivity and heat dissipation and diffusion. These sheets are easy to fracture, scatter, and damage, however, compromising the performance of CFRP. Over the years, Toray has used proprietary technology to develop and apply highly rigid porous CFRP forming three-dimensional networks with short carbon fibers. On this occasion, Toray created a heat-conductive layer employing a porous CFRP support that safeguards the graphite sheets. Laminating CFRP prepreg on this thermally conductive layer enabled Toray to attain a thermal conductivity above that of metals, which would be impossible with regular CFRP, without compromising the mechanical properties and quality of that material. Prepreg is a sheet-like intermediate material made by impregnating fibers with resin to reinforce them. Common applications are aircraft fuselages, main and tail wings, and other primary structural components, as well as golf club shafts, fishing rods, tennis racket frames, and other sports equipment. Toray made it possible to determine the thickness and lamination positions of graphite sheets forming thermal conduction paths. This enabled a flexible thermal management design, which controls the paths to release or use heat, for CFRP cooling efficiency and heat diffusion paths. Toray’s breakthrough is a technological solution for efficiently dissipating heat from batteries and electronic circuits without undermining the lightness of CFRP. The company anticipates that CFRP applications employing its technology will include advanced mobility, mobile electronic devices, and wearables demanding lightness and heat dissipation. Toray will keep developing revolutionary materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Hiking gear fabric has cooling effect that may make your next smartwatch more comfortable
As smartwatches become more powerful, they will generate more heat. To prevent burns or rashes, what if a material touching the skin could feel as cool as metal, but also be flexible enough to be worn on the wrist? A team of Purdue University engineers has discovered that a type of fabric typically used for hiking gear has remarkable heat-conducting properties on par with stainless steel, potentially leading to wearable electronics that successfully cool both the device and the wearer’s skin. The material is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, which are sold commercially under the brand name Dyneema. These polymer-based fabrics are marketed for their high strength, durability and abrasion resistance, and are often used to create body armor, specialty sports gear, ropes and nets. Purdue heat transfer researchers recently investigated other uses for the fabric, namely as a cooling interface between human skin and wearable electronics (see a video about this research on YouTube). Their research is published in Scientific Reports. “This fabric has great flexibility and thermal properties. If you stitch it differently, weave it differently or start blending the polymers with different materials, you could tailor the fabric’s properties to different applications,” said Justin Weibel, a research associate professor in Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering. If a material has a high thermal conductivity, that means heat dissipates through the material more easily. There are many heat-dissipation methods for fabrics, from the simple (moisture-wicking); to the intricate (conventional fabrics with heat-conducting strands woven in); to the very complex (liquid-cooled garments worn by astronauts). “Your next smartwatch or virtual reality headset could be more powerful than your current smartphone, so we need to dissipate heat away from the electronic components to keep the wearer comfortable,” said Aaditya Candadai, who recently completed his Ph.D. at Purdue doing research on this project. “These polymer fabrics have amazing thermal properties that can keep these devices cooler and avoid low-degree skin burns.” The team discovered these properties by benchmarking Dyneema against conventional cotton fabrics, as well as polyethylene sheets in rigid non-woven form. They obtained several different commercially manufactured fabric samples and even wove their own samples from raw Dyneema fibers. The researchers tested the fabric samples at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdue’s Discovery Park. The samples went into a small vacuum chamber, with a metal wire laid across the surface as a heat source. Using an infrared microscope, they could generate detailed data about how much heat was being conducted through the fabric’s surface, and in which direction. They found that the Dyneema fabric has 20-30 times higher thermal conductivity than other fabrics, comparable with steel. The team also tested the fabric’s flexibility, which is important for wearable electronics. “There’s a balance; we don’t want to make thermally conductive materials that are so stiff, people won’t be comfortable wearing them,” Candadai said. “These polymer fabrics are in that sweet spot of having good conductivity and good flexibility.” The fabric naturally has these properties with no additional circuity or other equipment, but the researchers also have plans to test how weaving in different materials affects the fabric. “We could integrate other types of fibers – carbon fibers, metal fibers – to achieve different combinations of properties,” said Amy Marconnet, an associate professor of mechanical engineering. As part of his work investigating the heat-conducting properties of fabrics, Candadai won an Art-In-Science award in 2019 for an infrared camera image showing how the fabrics transfer heat. The team’s research was performed within Purdue’s Cooling Technologies Research Center, a graduated National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center with support from industry leaders in thermal materials and electronics.
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Snam, RINA and the GIVA Group: the world’s first test with a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in steel forging
The world’s first test of a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking was held in Rho (province of Milan), at the Forgiatura A. Vienna plant. The trial involved the use of the hydrogen/gas mix to heat the furnaces of the Forgiatura A. Vienna plant and was successfully carried out on site after a series of studies and laboratory tests lasting about a year. The companies involved in the initiative were: Snam, one of the world’s leading energy infrastructure companies and developer and promoter of the project; RINA, a multinational inspection, certification and engineering consultancy, which handled the engineering analyses and laboratory phase; and GIVA Group, a global leader in steelmaking, which made Forgiatura Vienna available for the field test. The blend of methane and hydrogen was supplied by Sapio, an Italian company specialising in the production and marketing of industrial and medical gases. Marco Alverà CEO of Snam commented: “In the medium to long term, hydrogen is in a position to become the solution for decarbonising steelmaking as well as all hard-to-abate industrial sectors that have a fundamental role in our economy. This trial is a preparatory step to the gradual introduction of zero-emission hydrogen, initially blended with natural gas and then in pure form, in certain steelmaking production processes. Snam intends to make its infrastructure, research and expertise available to contribute to the creation of a national hydrogen supply chain and to the achievement of domestic and European climate targets”. Ugo Salerno, Chairman and CEO of Rina added: “This test is the concrete proof that Italy’s hydrogen production chain can significantly contribute to decarbonising complex and energy-intensive industries such as steelmaking. At Rina we are proud to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition, more specifically in such events where we can share our energy and industrial know-how”. Jacopo Longhi Vienna, from the Giva Group said: “Hydrogen can be a great ally to our Group. On one side, increasingly stringent measures on CO2 emissions coupled with our willingness to reduce the environmental impact from our production processes, move us towards finding a solution. On the other, the use of hydrogen could create a driving market for valves and actuators produced by Group’s subsidiaries. This project only marks the beginning of a path we will be involved in for years to come”. The use of the hydrogen and natural gas blend did not require any plant modifications and had no impact either on the equipment used (industrial burners) or on the characteristics of the final heat-treated product. The project’s potential in terms of environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness is significant. It is estimated that the permanent use of a 30% green hydrogen blend, fuelled by renewables, on the total gas consumed by the three GIVA Group’s steel forging plants for its industrial processes would lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in the order of 15,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to 7,500 cars. It would consequently result into CO2 emissions savings amounting to approx. 800,000 euros per year (calculated on the current purchase of certificates) while ensuring the value and integrity of the steel forging manufacturing process and its long-term environmental sustainability. Steel is also the material through which pipelines are made; these pipes will play a fundamental role in transporting hydrogen whereby supplying final customers. The use of hydrogen in hard-to-abate industrial applications such as steelmaking will play a key role in achieving domestic and EU climate neutrality targets by 2050. Looking ahead, green hydrogen is the ideal solution for CO2-free steelmaking and processing. Snam is committed to having its infrastructure hydrogen-ready for transporting increasing amounts of hydrogen and to promoting its use in high-potential industrial sectors, including the iron and steel industry.
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Toray : Presents Proven, Technologically Advanced Materials for Urban Air Mobility at "Forum 77 - The Future of Vertical Flight"
Toray Industries (America), Inc., is exhibiting at The Vertical Flight Society's 77th Annual Forum & Technology Display, which begins Monday, May 10, and runs through Friday, May 14. This year the event is being held virtually. The Vertical Flight Society’s annual conference and exhibition focuses on the advancement of vertical flight technology for urban air mobility, including eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircrafts. Toray is a sponsor of the event. On display in the Toray Group virtual booth is a portfolio of cutting-edge materials, including carbon fiber composite materials, heat- and chemicals-resistant resin, battery separators, suede-like artificial leather, and more. A highlight of Toray’s exhibit is its carbon fiber composite materials, which are used for manufacturing an eVTOL structure, including rotor blades and primary structures. An eVTOL vehicle requires proven aerospace materials that have high-strength and are extremely lightweight. Carbon fiber composite materials lighten the weight of the vehicle to minimize the power needed from the batteries. Toray’s high-performance resins, battery separators, and specialty fibers and textiles are also potentially used for eVTOLs. Toray will also present a series of technical briefings on their virtual booth: Selection and Certification of Composite Materials for UAM Tuesday May 11, 2021 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Presenter: Nate Monroe, Toray Composites America, Inc. Composite Solutions for Transitioning from Prototype to Production Readiness Wednesday May 12, 2021 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Presenter: Stacy Biel, Toray Advanced Composites Innovative Composite Material Solutions for High Rate UAM Production Thursday May 13, 2021 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Presenter: DeWayne Howell, Toray Advanced Composites “Toray has a rich legacy in the research, development, and manufacture of advanced materials and experience has shown us that our company’s materials enhance life for society. That’s one reason Toray chose ‘Materials Change Our Lives’ as its slogan,” says Mr. Toshinori Hara, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development at Toray Industries (America), Inc. “Forum 77 offers an excellent opportunity for Toray to present an array of the world’s highest-quality products for use in the manufacture of urban air mobility aircraft and demonstrate its global leadership.”
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New Toray High Heat-Resistant Torayfan Grade Broadens Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Film Applications
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has created a new grade of its Torayfan® biaxially oriented polypropylene (OPP) film that has world-class thermal resistance and quality level. It can be used in environments up to 120°C. OPP film serves in diverse packaging applications on the strength of its outstanding properties such as excellent mold release, low outgassing, ultraviolet permeability, and low moisture absorption. Toray launched Torayfan in 2018 as an extremely smooth film for production process of optical materials and electronic components. The company set about creating a new Torayfan grade to enhance the quality, smoothness, and thermal resistance of OPP films in response to the performance and functionality developments of the Internet of Things. This new offering significantly reduces outgassing (see glossary note 1) and fisheyes (see glossary note 2) while minimizing the risks of scars and contamination. The company also developed elemental technologies to control the film surface smoothness and thermal resistance. For the new Torayfan grade, these technologies enhanced thermal resistance control in delivering a high-temperature elastic modulus that is up to 80% greater than that of conventional OPP films. These technologies also lifted shrinkage start temperature to 120°C. The numerous industrial uses for this new Torayfan grade include protection and support applications where mold release agent transfers are not allowed, deposition and sputter protection applications where low outgassing is essential, ultraviolet irradiation process protection applications, polarizing plate materials requiring low moisture absorption, and photosensitive materials protection. Toray will expand applications and help enhance the performance and functionality of optical materials and electronic components. Toray will continue to push ahead with efforts to innovate high-performance materials in keeping with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies, and products. Glossary 1. Outgassing is the release of water, additives, and other gasses and vapors from films. 2 Fisheyes are rough protrusions of 50 microns or more originated from degraded polymers.
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Toray to Expand Toraysee™ Cleaning Cloth Lineup
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will launch Toraysee™ for Shops and Salons around Japan in late March. The 30cm x 40cm cloth will retail at ¥900 before tax. It will be available through distributors for hair and beauty salons and food and beverage establishments, as well as through appliance stores, e-commerce sites, the Takezawa Online Shop, and Toray shops. The company is bringing out the new offering to help salons, mobile phone sellers, opticians, and other shops offering in-store service to safeguard the health of staff and customers from COVID-19. It has become routine at such establishments since the pandemic began to have people disinfect their hands to prevent contact infections, install partitions to safeguard from airborne droplets, and remove pathogens from objects. While frequently wiping tables, chairs, counters, and other surfaces as part of disinfection and sterilization efforts is also important, stores and salons frequently find this procedure very labor-intensive. Toraysee for Shops and Salons overcomes that challenge because it wipes faster and more effectively than regular cleaning cloths. Toray research found that the cloth can remove 98% of stains when it is dry and 99% when it is wet. The cloth is also economical because it can be washed and reused without compromising performance. The fabric employs a special, quick-drying weave. Toray debuted the Toraysee brand in 1987 as an advanced cloth for wiping eyewear. The company has since expanded the range to include numerous popular cleaning products. It will continue to develop high-value-added merchandise for the Toraysee series in the years ahead.
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Toray Creates Ultra-Thin Graphene Dispersion Solution Offering Outstanding Fluidity and Conductivity
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed an ultra-thin graphene dispersion solution with excellent fluidity and electrical and thermal conductivity. Applications that could benefit significantly from the solution include battery and wiring materials and paints. Toray will keep pushing ahead with R&D on this breakthrough to accelerate commercialization. Graphene is a sheet-like two-dimensional carbon material and is nanosized and ultra-thin. This advanced functional material is easy to align uniformly, contributing to its excellent conductivity and its barrier performance. Applying graphene or blending with other materials makes additional functions possible. To date, Toray has developed technologies to create very thin, top-quality graphene from inexpensive graphite materials. The issue, however, is that thinner graphene is more likely to aggregate. In contrast, higher concentrations make graphene the more like a clay, impeding fluidity. It is hard to apply and mix graphene in clay form, so it is necessary to dilute and use it in low-concentration solutions. This has masked the inherent benefits of graphene. Toray therefore developed a dispersion technology to control viscosity by adding a unique polymer material that suppresses aggregation from interactions between graphene. The result was a highly concentrated ultra-thin graphene dispersion solution with increased fluidity. The fluidity is excellent, even in high concentrations. The solution is accordingly easy to handle and apply without dilution and more readily demonstrates its outstanding electrical conductivity and other advantages. The high dispersibility and ease of mixing make it simple to blend the solution with other materials. A good application with the new solution would be as a conductive material for lithium-ion batteries. It can be mixed easily with cathode material, with graphene inserted between cathodes to boost conductivity. This approach lowers capacity losses from conductive pathways degrading during repeated charging and discharging, thereby extending battery life. The high-performance batteries of electric vehicles conventionally employ carbon nanotubes as conductive agents. Toray testing confirmed that the new solution offers 50% better battery life than carbon nanotubes. It is also worth noting that applying and drying the solution laminates graphene to form a dense film. One use of the film could be printable electronics wiring that is highly durable and conductive without rusting like metal. Diverse other applications could include mixing the solution with anti-corrosion paints to block water and oxygen permeation that causes rust, thereby enhancing durability. Toray will continue to develop revolutionary materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Toray Develops Energy-Saving, Virus-Removing Ultra-Filtration Membrane
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a new polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane with exceptional virus removal rate and high water permeability for water treatment. It can thereby contribute to safe and economical water supplies treated with minimal energy for various applications, from food and beverages through wastewater reuse. Toray will accelerate application testing with a view to commercialization. Toray has been offering PVDF UF membrane, in which the company pursued high strength and high water permeability, for water treatment. In recent years, there has been growing expectations for UF membranes to enhance pathogenic virus removal and water permeability without reducing safety or increasing costs. It has been the difficult problem for years to develop these UF membranes because reducing pore diameters to remove viruses make membrane resistance high, which results in decreasing water permeability. Toray overcame that challenge by improving its technology in following two key respects. 1. Using phase separation control technology to create a uniformly dense structure Toray focused on minimizing coarse voids exceeding 100 nm through which viruses can easily pass. By laminating layers which have homogeneous pore size distribution, Toray create a uniform dense structure without coarse voids. This uniform dense structure made it possible to create thinner dense structure than conventional UF membrane and showed 99.99% removal of the Essherichia coli phage MS2, which has a diameter of around 27 nanometers. 2. Innovative hollow fiber membrane manufacturing technology Dense structure increases resistance and impede water flow. Toray resolved that issue by using a proprietary hollow fiber membrane process technology built on the experience in water treatment and artificial kidney applications to create a thin, uniformly dense structure. Toray achieved excellent virus removal and water permeability (see figures 1 and 2) by increasing porosity in whole membrane except for the uniform dense structure, thus securing more water channels and boosting overall membrane permeability. The Toray Group is leveraging its innovative technologies and advanced materials in its drive to provide universal access to water and air and help restore the environment in keeping with the Toray Group Sustainability Vision and Toray Vision 2030, under which it pursues sustainable and healthy growth. In the years ahead, Toray will do much In keeping with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society by creating new value with innovative ideas, technologies, and products. It will help pave the path toward a recycling-based economy by scaling up, socially implementing, and evaluating its technology over the long term. It also looks to accelerate research into diverse applications extending from food and beverages to reusing wastewater.
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New mix could double concrete’s carbon uptake
Concrete is not glamorous. It is the workhorse of building materials: versatile, durable, and almost universally ubiquitous, with 30 billion tons of concrete produced every year. Cement, a component of concrete, produces 8% of the world’s carbon footprint. Looking to lower that percentage, Purdue University engineers have discovered a way to make concrete more sustainable. Their new recipe for concrete has the potential to cut carbon emissions dramatically, creating building blocks for a better world. A team lead by Mirian Velay-Lizancos, an assistant professor of civil engineering at Purdue, proposes adding small amounts of nanoscale titanium dioxide to the cement paste that makes up concrete. The team found that titanium dioxide, a powdery substance known best for its uses in sunscreen, paints, plastics and food preservatives, enhances concrete’s natural ability to sequester carbon dioxide. The team discovered that adding only small amounts of nano-titanium dioxide nearly doubles concrete’s absorption of the problematic greenhouse gas. The study recently appeared in the scientific journal Construction and Building Materials. A YouTube video of the work is available. Velay-Lizancos studies concrete and works to make it a more sustainable building material. Concrete, a variable mixture of water, cement paste, and aggregates such as sand and gravel, was invented millennia ago. Since then, it has changed to suit civilizations’ evolving needs and available materials. The concrete in the Pyramids needed to stand up to heat and wind. The concrete in Roman aqueducts needed to carry millions of gallons of water. Modern concrete needs to be strong, durable, economical, and as sustainable as possible. Manufacturing concrete is an energy and resource-intensive process. Traditional concrete naturally absorbs carbon dioxide — just not very much and not very quickly. “We can’t wait decades for concrete to absorb the carbon dioxide produced in its manufacturing process,” Velay-Lizancos said. “My team is making the concrete itself absorb carbon dioxide faster and in greater volumes. We’re not trying to change the way we use concrete; we’re making the concrete work for us.” The staggering amount of concrete used across the world today—in bridges, in roads and infrastructure, in buildings and monuments, dams and pipe systems—means that any slight improvement in the carbon footprint of concrete could add up to massive effects worldwide. The changes Velay-Lizancos’ team proposes would result in more than a slight change. Her research indicates that including titanium dioxide in the cement mix used to make concrete can double to the amount of carbon dioxide it naturally sequesters in the same amount of time. This effect is in addition to concrete’s well-studied photocatalytic effect, where ultraviolet light from sunshine interacts with concrete to help concrete oxidize harmful nitrogen oxide gases into nitrates. “We are living in a building environment,” Velay-Lizancos said. “There is no doubt that improving the sustainability of concrete, the most used construction material in the world, would mean a giant leap for sustainable development.” Initially, Velay-Lizancos and two of her doctoral students, Carlos Moro and Vito Francioso, were studying how titanium dioxide might interact with cement to make concrete stronger and how curing temperature might affect those interactions. They noticed that some of their concrete samples that included nano-titanium dioxide absorbed carbon dioxide from the surrounding air faster than other samples. Further investigation revealed that adding nano-titanium dioxide to the concrete mix decreased the size of calcium hydroxide molecules, making it vastly more efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide than other cement pastes. The addition accelerated the rate of carbon absorption and increased the total volume of carbon dioxide it can absorb. “I have always wanted to help others, to do something meaningful, something impactful,” Velay-Lizancos said. “This work is a way I can help others. Our research may lead to lower net carbon dioxide emissions. Knowing what you are doing may help stop climate change makes you wake up every day with energy to work harder than the day before.” Her future research will focus on more ways to make concrete more sustainable, more durable and an even better building material for the future.
