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May 10, 2011 | Article
Polylactide and polylactic acid (PLA) resins are the second family of bioplastics resembling conventional clear commodity plastics with a good aesthetics (gloss and clarity), but with some...
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Apr 19, 2011 | Article
The composite industry is using diverse fibers, fillers, additives and base resins carefully selected for given applications and expected performances. The previous years saw a sudden rise of...
Apr 14, 2011 | Article
Carbon fibers are the predominant high strength, high modulus fiber type used in the manufacturing of advanced composite products. Carbon fiber composite global demand was roughly US$11B in 2010...
Mar 1, 2011 | Article
In a recent online poll, SpecialChem members were asked what the most critical issues are when compounding and using short glass fibers in polymers. There were 143 votes obtained. Good adhesion with...
Nov 17, 2010 | Article
With more than 220,000 visitors, the K 2010 Trade Fair has been announced as a proof of a strong on-going recovery of the polymer industry. Among the 3,100 exhibitors, mood was qualified as...
Oct 25, 2010 | Article
As an example of composites with a tailored interface to control mechanical properties, a discussion is provided of glass fiber reinforced plastics from 3B Composites. These composites are primarily...
Jul 26, 2010 | Article
By Mark DeMeuse
Interfaces are among the most important yet least understood components of a composite material. In particular, there is a lack of understanding of processes occurring at the atomic level of...
May 17, 2010 | Article
Natural fibres take advantage of economic and environmental trends. Moreover they are cheaper than fibreglass, but exhibit lower performance and sometimes compete with food crops leading to an...
Mar 15, 2010 | Article
The medical sector is the fourth largest consumer of plastics after packaging, construction, and automotive sectors. It has a relatively high growth rate (8% per year). The growth is in part due to...
Feb 22, 2010 | Article
The Electrical/Electronics (E/E) end-use market is the world's 3rd largest plastics sector behind packaging and building/construction. Apart from mechanical properties, the electrical behavior of...