Nov 29 2006
NaturalNano, Inc., a materials science company, today introduced its new PleximerTM product line. Pleximer, which NaturalNano plans to offer commercially in fourth quarter 2007, is a turnkey nanocomposite additive enabling stronger, lighter materials for the $40 billion dollar polymer composite industry.
“We believe the advantage of the Pleximer additive is that it will allow composite manufacturers to produce affordable nanocomposites for the first time. The nanocomposite market segment is estimated to more than double in size in the next four years. However, many manufacturers to date have been unable to produce nanocomposites because of the necessary up-front investment in expensive, specialized equipment and the complex chemistries involved in the process,” stated Cathy Fleischer, PhD, President and CTO of NaturalNano.
“By contrast, Pleximer can be used with standard processes and equipment and provides a stronger, lighter, and more uniform output. We believe this could greatly increase the number of manufacturers capable of participating in this fast growing industry,” Dr. Fleischer noted.
NaturalNano’s technology can also be utilized with a broader range of polymers, enabling a wider array of applications. “We’re reducing barriers to entry into this multi-billion dollar market. We are very excited to be introducing a leadership product into the polymer composites industry,” Dr. Fleischer added. Pleximer will offer the following benefits:
- Saves investment capital needed for equipment to fabricate nanocomposites;
- Reduces cost of production by eliminating process steps;
- Improves quality at reduced cost;
- Provides a stronger, lighter, less brittle, and more uniform output; and
- Covered by pending patents.
Pleximer additives consist of halloysite clay nanotubes concentrated and mixed with various polymer materials using the Company’s proprietary process. NaturalNano has multiple patents issued and pending on its uses of halloysite nanotubes, including coverage for polymers used as composite material.
Plastics manufacturers currently use nanoclay additives to produce stronger, lighter composites but these improvements come at a high cost. The increased costs result from the complex exfoliation process required in separating the clay layers to obtain good dispersion and uniform properties.
NaturalNano’s clay nanotubes do not require exfoliation, and can be run on standard equipment. Analysts predict that nanoclays will be the largest component of the nanocomposite market in 2010.