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Influence of using nanoobjects as filler on functionality-based energy use of nanocomposites

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Abstract

The goal of our study was to investigate the potential benefits of reinforcing polymer matrices with nanoobjects for structural applications by looking at both the mechanical properties and environmental impacts. For determining the mechanical properties, we applied the material indices defined by Ashby for stiffness and strength. For the calculation of environmental impacts, we applied the life cycle assessment methodology, focusing on non-renewable energy use (NREU). NREU has shown to be a good indicator also for other environmental impacts. We then divided the NREU by the appropriate Ashby index to obtain the ‘functionality-based NREU’. We studied 23 different nanocomposites, based on thermoplastic and thermosetting polymer matrices and organophilic montmorillonite, silica, carbon nanotubes (single-walled and multiwalled) and calcium carbonate as filler. For 17 of these, we saw a decrease of the functionality-based NREU with increasing filler content. We draw the conclusion that the use of nanoobjects as filler can have benefits from both an environmental point of view and with respect to mechanical properties.

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Notes

  1. Although not all municipal waste incinerators use combined heat and power generation, we assume this type as average values for Europe.

  2. Apart from strength and stiffness, other important mechanical properties could be barrier properties and UV resistance. We limit ourselves to strength and stiffness because these properties are important for most applications of nanocomposites. Barrier properties are primarily important for packaging materials, while UV resistance is particularly needed for outdoor applications.

  3. Impact on climate change is defined as the Global Warming Potential in the next 100 years (GWP100). The methodology is described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007).

  4. Also for pyrogenic silica natural gas is consumed. It is used for heating hydrogen gas and combustion air, for the evaporation of silicon tetrachloride, as well as for removing residual hydrochloride from the silica surface.

  5. Included processes are fluidized bed and floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition, high-pressure carbon monoxide process, electric arc process, laser ablation process, and solar furnace process.

  6. The slope of this line is negative, albeit minor.

  7. The amount of polymer matrix decreases with increasing filler content. Therefore, the contribution of the polymer matrix to the total environmental impacts and thus to the functionality-based NREU decreases with increasing filler content. It therefore contributes to a negative slope of the line.

  8. Best cases (% improvement of functionality-based NREU per % increase in filler): Ep-Si (3.4%/%), TPS-MMT (3.5%/%), HDPE-MMT (3.6%/%), EPDM-SWNT (5.4%/%) and LDPE-MMT (5.7%/%).

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Acknowledgments

This study has been supported by the EU-Network of Excellence NANOFUN-POLY “Nanostructured and Functional Polymer-based Materials and Nanocomposites” (www.nanofun-poly.org). We also thank Dr. Herbert Barthel (Wacker Chemie AG), Prof. Dr. Ray Baughman (Nanotech Institute, Technical University of Texas), Dimitris Kastanis MSc. and Dr. Konstantinos Dassios (FORTH/ICE-HT, Greece), Prof. Ramani Narayan (Michigan State University, USA), Dr. Peter Krüger (Bayer Material Science AG) and Dr. Miguel Angel López-Manchado (Institute for Polymer Science and Technology (CSIC), Madrid) for their helpfulness in providing us with technical information.

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  1. Department of Science, Technology and Society, Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    A. L. Roes, L. B. Tabak, L. Shen, E. Nieuwlaar & M. K. Patel

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  1. A. L. Roes
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Roes, A.L., Tabak, L.B., Shen, L. et al. Influence of using nanoobjects as filler on functionality-based energy use of nanocomposites. J Nanopart Res 12, 2011–2028 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-009-9819-3

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