The hottest new thermoplastic ABL developed in the

The United States developed a new thermoplastic ABL

release date: Source: China plastic machinery editor: Arnold browse times: 1909 copyright and disclaimer the more surface area in contact with polymers

core tip: plastics with heating softening and cooling hardening characteristics are collectively referred to as thermoplastics. Most plastics used in our daily life fall into this category. When heating, it becomes soft and flows, and when cooling, it becomes hard. This process is reversible and can be repeated

[China Packaging News] plastics with heating softening and cooling hardening characteristics are collectively referred to as thermoplastics. Most plastics used in our daily life fall into this category. When heating, it becomes soft and flows, and when cooling, it becomes hard. This process is reversible and can be repeated

recently, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of energy used lignin from plants to replace styrene in ABS plastics, and developed a new and better thermoplastic - ABL (acronym for acrylonitrile butadiene lignin)

they invented a solvent-free production process, which connected the nano-sized lignin dispersed in the synthetic rubber matrix to produce a fusible and moldable tough material, which is at least ten times stronger than ABS. ABL can also be recycled and still performs well after melting for three times. This research result, published in the journal advanced functional materials, may provide cleaner and cheaper raw materials for different manufacturers

"the performance of this new thermoplastic is better than that of commercial plastics such as ABS." amit1, the corresponding author of the article, and naskar, the oil pipe blockage of the experimental machine, mainly manifested in the low stiffness of the pressure stabilizing spring of the oil delivery valve or the blockage of the throttling needle cavity, said that he and the first author Chau D. tran have applied for a patent for this new material. "We can call it a green product, because 50% of it is renewable, which makes its commercialization process reduce the demand for petrochemical products."

in order to develop this material, Oak Ridge National Laboratory team needs to solve several problems: can we overcome the diversity of lignin raw materials to obtain plastic products with superior performance? Can lignin be smoothly integrated into the soft polymer matrix? How to better understand the chemical and physical properties of lignin derived polymers in order to better control their properties? Can the method of producing lignin derived polymers be modified

"lignin is a very fragile natural polymer, so it needs to be toughened," naskar explained. A major goal of the team is to produce industrial polymers that are strong enough so that they will not rupture during deformation

all kinds of lignin are also different in thermal stability. Scientists evaluated the lignin from wheat straw, cork (such as pine) and hardwood (such as oak). They found that the thermal stability of lignin from hardwood is the best by combustion chamber and control chamber, and some types of cork lignin can also remain stable in molten state

next, researchers need to combine lignin with soft polymer matrix. Chemists usually do this by synthesizing polymers in the presence of solvents. However, because lignin and synthetic rubber containing acrylonitrile and butadiene (called nitrile rubber) have chemical groups with uneven electronic distribution, which may interact, naskar and Chau tran try to fuse the two substances in a solvent-free molten state

at the same time, researchers are also optimizing the components and production process of ABL plastic. They found that the synthetic rubber matrix with acrylonitrile accounting for 41% can achieve the best balance between toughness and rigidity of ABL, and the mixing temperature of each component is the best when the year-on-year increase of 14 is as high as 367.12% 0 and 160 ℃

researchers found that the final material includes nm flakes formed by lignin and high modulus rubber interface, and the yield stress of the final material is as high as 15 – 45 MPa. The team's future research will explore the possibility of using different raw materials, especially industrial waste from biomass, for ABL