JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010 - 56

KNOW-HOW Mould DEMOCRAT, an electrostatic process The application of paint, varnishes and resins has been revolutionized by the development and industrialization of electrostatic deposition techniques. One sector in which the technology is relatively undeveloped is the composite industry, where most parts are made on non-conductive organic moulds. To use electrostatic deposition on a polyester or epoxy mould, you need electrical conductivity. The DEMOCRAT (Dépose Electrostatique sur Moule Organique Conducteur de Revêtement pour Applications Technologiques) process has the solution to this problem. this type of application, the polymer must be made electrically DEMOCRAT, an electrostatic process conductive. Mixing standard resins with conductive fillers such as carbon black or metal/metal-oxide powders, flakes, or fibres makes them conductive throughout; these, we call filled conductive polymers (FCP). Other types of polymers become electrically conductive by chemical or electrochemical reaction when molecules or macromolecules, called dopants, are introduced into their structure; these, we call inherently conductive polymers (ICP). Paniplast technology was developed by the Rescoll Company and is protected by a number of industrial property titles. It consists of an inherently conductive polymer that is based on a polyaniline doped with specific organic molecules. 1- DR THOMAS OLINGA, PROJECT MANAGER, RESCOLL 2- DR MARIE-PIERRE FOULC, R&D MANAGER, RESCOLL 3- LOÏC VENEC, GENERAL MANAGER, LOF TECH 4- JOSÉ ALCORTA, GENERAL MANAGER, RESCOLL escoll-patented Paniplast technology serves to make a polymer material electrically conductive. It has its place in the emerging segment of functional engineering polymers, which includes conductive organic polymers and their technological applications. Commercial applications for this technology exist in various sectors, such as composite equipment for the electronics, automotive, wind-energy, building, packaging, boating and aviation industries. The advantages of Paniplast technology include the material’s low weight (only one-fifth that of a solution using metal fillers), processability, high corrosion resistance, easily adjustable electrical properties as a function of the application, thanks to the polymer’s flow properties, and the possibility for obtaining very thin conductive coatings that are slightly coloured but very transparent to visible light. R General information on inherently conductive polymers Inherently conductive polymers, or electronic conductive polymers, generally consist of a series of single and double conjugated bonds in the carbonated chemical structure of the organic polymer. A double bond consists of a strong sigma (σ) bond and a weaker pi ( ) bond that are easily polarizable and highly sensitive to the physico-chemical environment. Why do we have to make the polymer conductive? Pure polymers and composite materials have good electrical insulating properties. This becomes a handicap when these materials are used, for example, in an environment that is sensitive to static electricity or electromagnetic waves. For These structures can be oxidized or reduced either chemically or electrochemically to become electrically conductive. Inherently conductive polymers include polyacetylene (PA), polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene (PT), polyphenylene vinyl (PPV), polyparaphenylene (PPP), polyaniline (PANI), and their derivatives. Polyaniline is one of jec composites magazine / No54 January 2010

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010