Applications
Baytubes® have three key strengths which make them a candidate for a wide range of applications:
Their electrical properties, in particular, open the door to many applications. Baytubes® make plastics conductive. They can therefore be used to manufacture antistatic packaging films for computer chips, or plastic containers to protect fragile integrated circuits during transportation. One current application features semi-finished products with antistatic properties made of polyetheretherketone which are processed into various machine parts including nozzles.
Baytubes® could be used in engineering applications, for example, to protect electronic control assemblies from disruptive electromagnetic radiation. Battery manufacturers are interested in carbon nanotubes because they can use them to modify the electrodes in lithium ion batteries. High-tech nano dispersions for antistatic coating systems are another attractive market.
Baytubes® are also suitable for a large number of applications in the automotive industry. If they were added to plastic body parts – such as a fender made of a poly(phenylene oxide)-polyamide blend – the need to apply a conductive primer before painting could be eliminated, which would reduce cost considerably. Polyamide fuel lines could be made antistatic, and thus safer, by the addition of Baytubes®.
The addition of Baytubes® considerably increases the stiffness and resilience of composites and hence their mechanical strength. This means that components can be designed to be lighter and yet still have enhanced mechanical performance. This property is already being exploited in the manufacture of sports equipment such as surfboards and skis made of epoxy resin composite.
