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Product Applications
Consumer Packaging
Nanocomposite technology improves barrier to gases, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, to chemicals, both in liquid and vapor phases and to odor migration. Greater barrier also impedes absorption of flavors and vitamins by the plastic packaging itself. Barrier enhancement is important for longer product shelf life. Where barrier is a limiting factor in existing packages its improvement can lead to lower weight packages and reduce package cost. Improved shelf life and lower package cost dominate the uses of nanotechnology in consumer packaging.
Consumer Packaging Application Guide
Transportation
The transportation sector, especially automotive, is a heavy user of performance plastics. An average car has over 350 pounds of plastic components. Performance plastics include reinforcements, thermal stabilizers, chemical resistors and flame resistant additives, each increasing weight and therefore decreasing fuel efficiency. Since nanocomposites contain low nanoclay addition levels, they offer the automotive engineer an opportunity to minimize this weight penalty.
Nanocomposite’s barrier enhancement property plays a role in transportation by improving fuel vapor emissions in fuel tanks and distribution components. It also contributes greater resistance to common corrosive agents such as gasoline, anti-freeze and road salt.
Fit-and-finish depends on strength and stability under changing temperature conditions. Nanocomposites resist dimensional changes by reinforcing plastics in all directions and at a submicron level.
Transportation Application Guide
Business, Industrial and General Consumer
As consumers we encounter plastics every time we use a telephone, computer, lawn or garden tool, attend an office meeting, visit a doctor or play a game of tennis or golf. The same is true for our industrial sector, where plastics have replaced metal pipes, stairs, assembly line components, machine rotor blades, tanks and a multitude of other essential productive elements. The benefits of nanocomposite technology can be selectively applied to many niche products essential to business, to manufacturing and general consumer use.
Business, Industrial Application Guide
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