A. Schulman, PolyOne sign nanotechnology deals

(West Bloomfield, MI) will mix nanoSEC’s nanocomposites with a variety polymer products produced by A. Schulman. nanoSEC’s proprietary technologies are currently being assessed for use in durable goods, like hand tools, as well as transportation applications and high-performance agricultural and packaging films. nanoSEC’s technology is specifically designed to improve barrier properties, increase strength, and improve heat and flame resistance of polymers. Utilizing supercritical fluid processing (SCFP) for exfoliation of all layered/aggregated nanomaterials, nanoSEC says its process, which was granted two patents with two more pending, is suitable for preparation of a wide variety of nanocomposite products.

nanoScience was formed in 2004 from a research collaboration of professors and scientists at Wayne State University in Detroit and materials and automotive executives. In addition to its headquarters in West Bloomfield, MI, nanoScience is nearing completion of a laboratory in Westland, MI.

Compounder PolyOne (Cleveland) and Zyvex Performance Materials (Columbus, OH) have also entered into a joint-development agreement to supply carbon nanotube-filled polymers for use in structural and electrically conductive applications. As part of the arrangement, Zyvex will provide the chemistry and carbon-nanotube functionalization needed to make the nanomaterials compatible with high-end thermoplastics, with PolyOne compounding the functionalized nanotubes with a variety of polymers, and marketing and selling the compounds globally. PolyOne anticipates markets in medical packaging, consumer electronics, and other high-performance products. The companies will also work with Stratek Plastic Ltd. (Wallingford, CT), using that company’s Tek-Mix blending technology to optimize nanotube dispersion. Zyvex was spun out of Zyvex Corp. in April 2007, and its technologies have been commercialized in the advanced composite fields, through the Epovex line of liquid epoxy resins with carbon nanotubes, as well as its Arovex prepreg using Epovex resin. On March 9, Zyvex also announced distribution agreements with Ohio-based composites distributor Rudolph Bros’s. & Co. (Columbus, OH), to distribute the Epovex and Arovex lines in North America, with a separate distribution agreement with Arkema for nano-enhanced liquid epoxy resins into the European market. —[email protected]