Raw Materials and Chemicals - Articles - Page 352

Is it Time to Decouple from Petroleum?

Bio-polymers have entered the market, and demand is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade.

August 1, 2010

In May 2009, The Coca-Cola Co. unveiled its new package. According to the press release, the PlantBottle™ is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources, and reduces carbon emissions compared with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. The rest of the press release discusses the environmental virtues of the new package, but dialogue with Coke employees revealed a different (though equally important) driver: “We have been in business for over 100 years and we plan to be in business for over 100 more years. We are taking steps now to reduce our dependence on petroleum-based raw materials.”

Adhesives and Sealants 101: Fillers

What are fillers and how are they used in adhesives and sealants?

Keith Sorrell

July 31, 2008

When a filler is used in an adhesive or sealant formulation, it is typically meant to take up space. But the space it occupies has a crucial function, making it a role player and a key component to your product’s success.

Fire-Retardant Adhesives

This article examines the external events that have led to greater awareness of adhesives’ performance in the event of a fire, the standards and regulations that are being imposed, and the development of new fire-resistant materials.

Edward M. Petrie

November 1, 2007

Historically, fire resistance has not generally been a significant requirement when specifying adhesive systems. Recent incidents, however, indicate that this may soon change. These include events outside of the formulators’ arena, such as increased sensitivity to the performance of components in a fire, and events within the formulators’ arena, such as the development of flame-resistant additives.

Product Profile

Butyl Rubber: A Primer

What is butyl rubber and how is it used?

October 1, 2007

Butyl rubber is a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene. Simple copolymers are known as “regular” or “clear” butyl rubber, or simply “butyl.” When butyl rubbers are modified after polymerization with the halogens bromine or chlorine, a second family, known as halobutyl rubber (or halobutyls), results.

Safety First: Safe Handling of Adhesives and Sealants

While cured adhesives and sealants are generally considered safe, care must be taken with airborne particles, decomposition products, and uncured components.

Edward M. Petrie

March 1, 2007

Completely cured adhesives and sealants are generally considered safe and non-toxic, although caution must be exercised when machining or grinding joints due to airborne particles. Also, decomposition products may exhibit substantial vapor pressures that present health and safety issues. However, it is exposure to uncured components that can be the most harmful, and that is the subject of this article.

How Sealants Function

How do the application and performance characteristics of sealants correlate to the composition of the sealant formulation?

Edward M. Petrie

February 27, 2006

Sealants are generally chosen for their ability to fill gaps, resist relative movement of the substrates, and exclude or contain another material. Sealants are generally lower in strength than adhesives, but have better flexibility. Usually, a sealant must effectively bond to a substrate in order to perform these functions.

Adhering to Difficult Substrates with Silicone Adhesives

Substrates with reactive groups available for bonding make chemical bonding easier to achieve, while substrates with nothing to react to make adhesion difficult.

October 1, 2005

Adhesive technology is equal parts chemistry and "black magic." The sheer number of available substrates makes it nearly impossible to test each adhesive on every type. However, by conducting tests on a selection of novel, or difficult-to-adhere-to, substrates, we can make inferences that may help narrow the choice of adhesives.

INTERPOLYMER CORP.: Specialty Polymers Brochure

Available free of charge, the four-page brochure highlights the three general markets where Interpolymer excels: Surface Care, Consumer Specialties and Industrial Specialties.

September 12, 2005

A new full-color brochure from Interpolymer Corp. highlights the many uses of the company's specialty polymers.

Packaging EndUser: Starch- and Dextrin-Based Adhesives

Starch- and dextrin-based adhesives play a large part in industrial production, especially the packaging industry.

August 1, 2005

This article provides an overview of the raw materials that go into starch and dextrin adhesives, the methods of adhesive manufacture, and the additives that are commonly used in formulations for improvement of specific properties.

Epoxy, Acrylic, and Urethane Structural Adhesives

Increasing alternatives to mechanical fastening are available.

September 1, 2004

With ongoing advances in structural adhesive formulation, designers in every industry have increasing alternatives to mechanical fasteners for assembly of metal, composites, plastics, rubber, glass and more.