JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World - 70

JEC WORLD 2017
nano-materials

Using single-wall carbon nanotubes
to enhance materials

CHRISTOPH SIARA,
Sales & Marketing Director Europe
OCSiAl Group

Nanotechnology company OCSiAl plans on revolutionizing a number of industrial
segments in plastics/composites. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are nothing new
when it comes to improving the properties of composites, but OCSiAl intends to
make their use more widespread with its products based on high-performance,
low-cost single-wall CNTs. Christoph Siara, Sales & Marketing Director Europe,
tells us more about it.

JEC Composites Magazine: What distinguishes OCSiAl from other CNT producers?

Christoph Siara: Our hope
is to make a more widespread use of
nanomaterials contribute to improve
conditions for the growing world
population, in particular by reducing
the quantities of necessary materials,
wherever that is possible. Our
technology helps improve the specific
properties of materials and to drastically
reduce their price/properties ratio.
JCM: What is your offering based on?

C. S.: On the mass production

of single- wall carbon nanotubes
(SWCNT). Until relatively recently,
the cost of SWCNT was prohibitive
at around US$150,000/kg. Even if
you used very small quantities to
improve the materials, the price was
insurmountable for a lot of markets.
Our adventure started in 2009 and
accelerated in 2013 when, after filing
patents, we started up a line with the
capacity to produce SWCNT at 75 times
lower price than our closest competitor.
Coupled with our specialists' knowhow in nanomaterials, that makes it
possible to incorporate the nanotubes
into plastic materials on an industrial

70

scale. We filed patents in more than 50
countries to protect our technology and
an application for a trademark of our
Tuball™ brand.
JCM: What are the properties of your
SWCNT, and what is their impact on finished materials?

C. S.: Our CNT are typically 1.6 +/- 0.6

nm in diameter and 5-10 μm in length,
which gives them a very high aspect ratio
(see Table 1). A single gram could cover
the surface of two basketball courts. They
are both highly flexible and very strong.
They resist up to 1000°C, or 100 times
more resistant than steel, are five times
as electrically conductive as copper, and
conduct heat very well. Their effect is
observable once their weight content in
a plastic material reaches 0.01%, at this
level percolation and network effect
occur, confirmed by the conductivity of
the material obtained. The focus is on
conductivity during processing, as it is
the first measurable property providing
proof of a 3D material network (see
Figure 1). Compared to a 10% weight
content of carbon black, for example, it is
possible to obtain equivalent properties
with only 0.01% for our CNT. So for
equal strength, the weight of the parts
can be reduced. Or you can have stronger
parts for equal weight. For example, for
tyres, while saving weight, abrasion
resistance, as well as grip ( +25% )

jec composites magazine / No111 March 2017

Table 1: Tuball™ technical specifications

Unit of
measure

Value

Method
of evaluation

Carbon content

wt. %

>85

TGA, EDX

CNT content

wt. %

>75

TEM,
TGA

Number of
walls CNT

unit

1

TEM

Mean diameter
CNT

nm

1.6 +- 0.6

RAMAN,
TEM

Length of CNT

m

>5

AFM

Metal
impurities

wt. %

<15

EDX,
TGA, Ash
residue

improve - resulting in a large weight
reduction for improved properties. As
for optical properties, matrixes remain
unaltered, maintaining transparency
or keeping their colour.
JCM: Which applications are you
targeting?

C. S.: All plastics in the larger sense:
thermoplastics,silicones,
rubbers,
adhesives, thermosets, etc.
and
composites, of course. For example
TUBALL offers solutions in terms of
mechanical properties and electrical
or heat conductivity for elastomers;
energy storage (improvement of
anode and cathode conductivity in
particular); paints & coatings; and
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World
