INTRODUCTION
STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
This report focuses on polymer nanocomposites and their uses. There has been
enormous interest in the commercialization of nanocomposites for a variety of
applications, and a number of these applications already can be found in the
marketplace. For decades, mineral fillers, metals and fibers have been added
to thermoplastics and thermosets to form composites. Compared to neat resins,
these composites have a number of improved properties including tensile
strength, heat distortion temperature and modulus. Thus for structural
applications, composites have become very popular and are sold in billion-pound
quantities. These filled thermoplastics are sold in even larger volumes than
neat thermoplastics. Furthermore, the volume of fillers sold roughly equals
the volume of thermoplastic resin sold. Clearly, the idea of adding fillers to
thermoplastics and thermosets to improve properties, and in some cases decrease
costs, has been very successful for many years. Thermoplastics have become
part of the fabric of modern life. Billions of pounds of these materials are
sold annually, and the rate of thermoplastic production is increasing. These
materials are ubiquitous and found in homes, cars, offices, and a host of other
places. Thermoplastics have grown in acceptance in our society because they
perform well for their cost. More recently, advances in synthetic techniques
and the ability to characterize materials readily on an atomic scale have lead
to interest in nanometer-size materials, e.g., grains, fibers and plates. They
have dramatically increased surface area compared to conventional-size
materials, and the chemistry of nanosize materials is altered in comparison to
conventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites combine composites and
nanometer size materials. Thermoplastics filled with nanometer size materials
have properties different from thermoplastics filled with conventional
materials. Some of these properties, such as increased tensile strength, may be
achieved by using higher conventional filler loading at the expense of increased
weight and decreased gloss. Other properties, such as clarity or improved
barriers, cannot be duplicated by filled resins at any loading. Polymer
nanocomposites were developed in the late 1980s by both commercial research
organizations and academic laboratories. Toyota was the first company to
commercialize these nanocomposites, and it used nanocomposite parts in one of
its popular models for several years. Following Toyota's lead, a number of other
companies also began investigating nanocomposites. Most of the commercial
interest in nanocomposites has been focused on thermoplastics. They can be
broken into two groups: less expensive commodity resins and the more expensive
(and higher performance) engineering resins. One of the goals of nanocomposites
was to permit substitution of more expensive engineering resins with a
less-expensive commodity resin nanocomposite. Substituting a nanocomposite
commodity resin with equivalent performance as a more expensive engineering
resin should yield overall cost savings. Using a strict definition of
nanocomposites, i.e., any filler submicron in size, there already are
significant volumes of nanocomposites being produced (probably more than 100
million pounds). However, the fillers, carbon black, fumed silica and calcium
carbonate, do not alter the performance of the composite dramatically when
compared to conventional size fillers. Furthermore, these materials have been
known and used for decades. Often, particles used in composites are agglomerates
of smaller particles. This was unknown until microscopy developed to the point
where it could characterize these particles more fully. Much of the research
interest in nanocomposites was jump-started by the National Nanotechnology
Initiative (NNI). More research money was provided by this initiative than was
spent on the Human Genome Project. For example, NNI funding exceeded $600
million in 2003 and continues to increase. The goals of the NNI have been
adopted by many nanotechnology researchers (who are looking for funding, of
course):
- Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or
macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1 nanometer to
100 nanometer range.
- Creating and using structures, devices and systems that have novel
properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.
- Ability to control or manipulate on the atomic scale; nanotechnology
implies that new materials and applications are being developed to
specifically exploit the properties found in this size range.
Consequently, this report excludes composites made from conventional
materials, even if they are composed of particles that meet the strict
dictionary size definition of nanoparticles. At this point in time, there has
been much less open commercial interest in thermoset nanocomposites compared to
thermoplastics. Yet thermoplastics have been able to dominate a major coating
market in a relatively short time frame. Nanocomposites have proven to be more
difficult to manufacture than first anticipated, but new materials in pilot
plants and laboratories may be able to live up to much of their initial promise.
Greater understanding of the chemistry driving the formation of nanocomposites
has enabled researchers to discover practical production methods for these
materials. Nanocomposites offer improvements in several of the properties of
thermoplastics including tensile strength, modulus, barrier and heat distortion
temperature. If a nanocomposite could offer these improvements at no additional
cost, then it quickly would replace a large percentage of unfilled
thermoplastics. Unfortunately, improved performance of a nanocomposite compared
to a thermoplastic comes with an increase in price. Therefore, replacement
will not come on a wholesale basis, but will take place in applications where
improved performance of a nanocomposite justifies the price increase.
Nanocomposites are not going to be commodity materials. They are specialty
materials that will carry a price premium for the foreseeable future. Since
nanocomposites will not completely replace any particular unfilled resin, over
the next 5 years, amounts of nanocomposites will be modest by thermoplastic
standards. However, nanocomposites already are produced in multimillion-pound
quantities and these applications should increase dramatically during the next
half-decade. This report summarizes and describes current nanocomposite
products, and covers some of the future developments involving these materials.
It also covers a number of applications for these nanocomposites, and estimates
possible future markets for them. Armed with this information, readers with
business interests then can make sound judgments regarding marketing strategies,
investment decisions, or strategic plans concerning markets for polymer
nanocomposites. This report was written to be readily accessible for readers
with a business background, but accuracy concerning the technical aspects of
polymer nanocomposite manufacture has not been sacrificed.
REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY
While there has been considerable ballyhoo in the popular press regarding the
wonders of polymer nanocomposites, it is difficult to get solid information on
how many of these nanocomposites are being produced and sold. Furthermore, many
articles have presented wildly misleading information concerning the
manufacture, markets and applications of these materials. This report offers a
timely picture of trends in polymer nanocomposites that cannot be obtained from
other sources.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY
This report discusses the current and future sizes of the polymer
nanocomposite market on a global basis. The U.S. is, and probably will remain,
the dominant producer and one of the world's largest markets for polymer
nanocomposites. Thus, there is a heavy focus on trends in this country. Readers
of this report will be able to distinguish the hype concerning the uses of
polymer nanocomposites from the reality of the market. A number of potentially
significant markets for polymer nanocomposites have received relatively little
press, and many of the published articles concerning uses of these materials do
not provide an accurate picture.
SCOPE AND FORMAT
To generate the information required to construct a reasonable future market
for polymer nanocomposites, it is necessary to take a hard look at the potential
advantages and pitfalls of the current crop of these materials as compared to
conventionally filled polymers. This report does not delve into the likelihood
of exotic new forms of transportation. instead, it is restricted to the possible
replacement of existing conventional materials with polymer nanocomposites.
Possible applications of nanocomposite materials within the next 5 years also
are discussed. This report features two types of polymer nanocomposites:
- Thermoplastic: these materials are broken into two major categories, i.e.,
commodity resins and engineering resins; the potential of polymer
nanocomposite commodity resin is covered by filler types such as nanoclays,
nanotubes and metal oxides.
- Thermoset nanocomposites: these have received less commercial interest
during their development than have thermoplastic nanocomposites, but the
materials have been more straightforward to produce.
The report is broken into five sections. First there is a technology overview
that gives the broad details of polymer nanocomposites, along with some of their
physical properties and methods of manufacture. Next there is an extensive
description of the industry that is developing polymer nanocomposites including
clay manufacturers, nanotube manufacturers, metal oxide filler manufacturers,
thermoplastic resin producers, and compounders, along with company profiles. The
products section covers nanocomposites by filler type, along with relevant
resins for each nanocomposite. The report concludes with a market applications
section that covers the likely trends over the next 5 years.
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
This report is the end result of 4 months of concerted effort by the author.
Primary information sources were interviews with several dozen people in
industry, academe and the government. The author also attended meetings and
conferences, and much precious insight was gained from these sources as well.
Many of the people interviewed are recognized authorities in the field, and
provided invaluable assistance. I would like to thank all who took the time to
speak with me for their help with this project. Since this study was not
commissioned by any corporation or individual, the author's brief in writing it
was to be as objective as possible. Secondary sources used for this report
include a number of publications issued by the federal government, as well as
items from the Internet, corporate literature and peer-reviewed literature. Any
time an estimate of a number is made, the underlying assumptions are discussed.
Thus, if a reader chooses to interpret raw data in a different way, it is
possible to do so. Dollar amounts are in constant 2003 dollars, and average
annual growth rates (AAGRs) are calculated using standard tables. | 
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