Nylon goes nano

Materials science company NaturalNano is to work with the Nylon Corporation of America (NYCOA) to develop a range of nylon nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties through the use of NaturalNano's Pleximer nanocomposite additive.

'This agreement creates a synergy between our halloysite nanotube surface functionalisation technology and NYCOA’s expertise in nylon manufacturing,' said Cathy Fleischer, PhD, President and CTO of NaturalNano.

'Our partnership with NYCOA is a critical step in our path to Pleximer commercialisation and introduction in 2007,' Fleischer added.

In January this year, NaturalNano first demonstrated the production of nylon Pleximer on a manufacturing scale. This was followed in February by the announcement of superior dispersion of halloysite nanotubes in excess of 30% in nylon using standard polymer processing equipment. The high dispersion led to improved strength and modulus properties in the resulting nanocomposite without sacrificing the natural elongation of nylon.

The highly concentrated nylon Pleximer product can be added to pure nylon in the final moulding process by a manufacturer to obtain nanocomposite materials with improved properties for a wide range of applications, including automotive, aerospace, sporting equipment, and electronics.