Conductive Polymers New Revolution

The concept of conductive polymers isn’t new.  Still regarded as relatively novel products, their applications tend to be overlooked.  Not any more.

The BPF is hosting a unique 1 day seminar on 2nd November 2011, entitled ‘An introduction to Conductive Polymers’ which will bring together a number of experts, both from academia and from industry, to increase awareness in industry of the benefits of conductive polymers and to better understand their processing parameters and the applications in which they are used.

Conductive Polymers can be developed by compounding thermoplastics with electrically conductive materials such as carbon or steel fibres or carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and other additives to increase their dispersion into the polymeric matrix. The result gives conductive properties to some plastics, normally isolators.

The advantages of choosing a conductive plastic over traditional products such as metal are manifold, including ease of fabrication, weight savings achievable and cost of manufacture. Indeed, the compounding process allows for specific ‘grades’ of conductivity to be achieved (from very low to very high) – ranges which may not be achievable with metals.

This freedom of formulation allows compounders to create material tailored to exacting customer requirements covering all the major plastic properties, such as: mechanical, thermal and especially electrical. Research carried out by AIMPLAS – a Spanish Centre for Innovation and Technology – shows that conductive fillers can be successfully compounded into any thermoplastic.

 Conductive plastic materials tend to replace metals in:

• Electromagnetic interferences (EMI) shielding applications (low or high shielding effectiveness) consisting of cases or boxes to protect electric or electronic devices from outside interference.

• Electrostatic discharge (ESD) or dissipative properties / electrostatic painting. These applications are most common in automotive and electronic applications.

Practically, unwanted electromagnetic interference effects occur when sensitive devices receive electromagnetic radiation emitted by other electric or electronic devices such as microwaves, wireless computers and mobile phones. As a result, the affected receiving devices may develop a fault or fail completely.

The effects of electromagnetic interference are becoming more obvious due, in the main, to increased demand for high-speed electronic devices operating at higher frequencies.  More intensive use of electronics in computers, communication equipment and cars, and the miniaturisation of these electronics or compact, densely packed electronic components simply produce more ‘electronic noise’.

Considering these trends, it is becoming increasingly important to protect components against EMI in order to decrease the chances of these components adversely affecting each other. The effects of EMI can be greatly reduced by positioning a shielding material between the source of the electromagnetic field and the sensitive component. This protection may be achieved by making for instance the housing of electronic components electronically conducting.

Confronting these issues, the BPF is involved in a number of European Research and Development projects, to help develop technical resources for our membership base. The BPF has been active in a recently completed European FP6 project called ‘PolyCond’ the thrust of which was to develop new, radically innovative, knowledge-based and sustainable products for protection against the effects of EMI and ESD. Whilst the project was completed in January 2009, the results are now being further developed, by virtue of the Leonardo Lifelong Learning Programme, with a project called ‘iPolyCond’.

The iPolyCond project consortium, which includes BPF, Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd and TBA Electro Conductive Products Ltd, is developing training materials and resources for the SME plastics industry, allowing SMEs to expand their product ranges into new applications by offering materials with a wider range of physical and electrical properties.

The project consortium has developed a handbook called ‘An Introduction to Conductive Polymer Composites’, which will be available for sale from each of the project partners from October 2011. Updates in the meantime can be found via www.ipolycond.org 

‘An introduction to Conductive Polymers’ will explore conductive polymers, the market size, their uses and applications, and processing techniques. The seminar is targeted at all levels of the plastics industry who are keen to fully understand the conductive polymers market and develop business within this area.

The seminar will be held on 2nd November at the BPF Offices in London. Full registration details can be found at www.bpfevents.co.uk, together with delegate pricing and directions to the BPF’s London offices.

ENDS