PolyCond

Creating a Competitive Edge for the European POLYmer Processing Industry by Driving New Added-Value Products with CONDucting Polymers

The objective of the PolyCond project was to develop conductive plastic composites that are eco-friendly, cost effective and of high added value. This was achieved through an ambitious multidisciplinary approach developing new, radically innovative, knowledge-based and sustainable products for protection against the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Research was based on the compounding of engineering polymers and Inherently Conductive Polymers (ICPs) with improved conductivity, or hybrid systems of ICPs with conductive nanotubes and other fi brous conductors. Innovative processing technologies specifi cally tailored to the new materials were also developed. PolyCond aimed to dramatically extend the current performance and processability of ICPs and alternative materials to thus enable signifi cant replacement of metals in EMI shielding and ESD protection applications.

The main objectives were:

• To enhance the conductivity of existing melt processable ICPs.
• To extend the processing window of existing melt processable ICPs.
• To improve the compatibility and dispersion of conductive nanofillers in complex matrices.
• To investigate the compounding of hybrid systems to maximise conductivity of the final product.

Organisational Information

Budget: €9M
Funding: €5M
Start Date: February 2005
Finish Date: January 2009
Duration (in months): 48
Lead Partner (Co-ordinator): AIMPLAS, Spain

Participants

	LABO Producer, Commercial & Provider Ltd, Hungary

Results – What happened next?

The following table shows the range of polymers that have been developed in the PolyCond project:

Base Material	Benefits
PP	Good toughness can be achieved with the addition of polyaniline
PA12	Wire coating, high chemical resistance
PA 6/6	Tough and easy to mould, high temperature resistance
PC	Much better properties than with carbon black
PC/ABS	Very good toughness & good mouldability
PC/PBT	Very good toughness for housings
Glass filled PPS	Very high stiffness and very high temperature resistance
Thermoset PU	Large mouldings possible

The materials developed are targeted at standard injection moulded articles. They give a significantly better balance of mechanical and electrical properties than the current generation of commercially available ESD protection and EMI shielding compounds. With the best EMI shielding compounds developed in PolyCond, it should be possible to use them in applications where they will replace mouldings with conductive coatings and those that comprise materials with high loadings of conductive fillers.

The materials developed will allow the SMEs in this sector to expand their product ranges into new applications by offering materials with an expanded range of physical and electrical properties.

A number of case studies focusing on new applications for the materials developed by the PolyCond project have been produced, and these are available on the project website.

Project website: www.polycond.eu