ANF Technology Ltd., the manufacturer of NAFEN™, the first ever superior-grade alumina nanofiber to be produced and made available at commercially viable, industrial volumes, will be exhibiting at the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering’s (SAMPE) annual event to be held at Long Beach, California attracting over 5,000 international attendees encompassing all areas of advanced materials and processes.
ANF Technology Ltd will present quantifiable performance data on NAFEN™ recently undertaken by the globally recognised Fraunhofer Institute’s polymer research center (PYCO), the University of Moscow’s materials science department (MISiS) and the University of South Carolina. These institutes have tested the performance capability of NAFEN™ in application-critical environmental conditions and focusing on specific materials, for example epoxy resin and polymer matrix composites.
Some of the mechanical performance results include the following:
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Thermal conductivity in epoxy was measured at 30 W/m*K, significantly higher than standard epoxy ranges with no additives.
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0.1% NAFEN™ added to epoxy measured a 30% increase in flexoral strength—important as a means of improving fracture and shear resistance in sealants, epoxies and adhesives
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2% NAFEN™ added to Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) showed an increase in tensile strength of +100% (increase in tensile modulus also noted)—PVB is extensively used in aerospace transparencies and transparent armor/ballistic glass.
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Material was homogenously dispersed in polymer via ultrasound and fibers interlocked (this is important because uneven dispersions can create weak points in the polymer matrix)
Aleksandr Rakitin, ANF Technology’s Applications Engineer, said of the Fraunhofer Institute’s research:
“Europe’s largest applications-oriented research group, the Fraunhofer Institute, has taken NAFEN™ nanofibers and put them through a wide range of testing in relation to specific polymer materials applications. We know how well this nanomaterial performs but to have our own research verified by the labs at the Fraunhofer Institute is a seal of approval for NAFEN™ quality control and product design. We have the product and now we have the performance data. This will help customers with their decision making process and we expect to see a further increase in interest and order flows in the pipeline.”
NAFEN™ is pure alumina and can be used as a performance-enhancing additive to boost critical factors of the end product, such as tensile & compressive strength; heat, radiation and chemical resistance and increased adhesion and greater wear resistance.
ANF Technology’s NAFEN™ alumina nanofibers act as a reinforcing element and provide a key ingredient solution to many application-critical problems. The benefits of NAFEN™ can be seen from as little as 0.1% added into the overall composite mix.
NAFEN™-inside composite materials can offer longer product life cycles and lower maintenance costs due to increased abrasion, corrosion and thermal resistance. This is particularly beneficial in the demanding environments of aerospace, aviation, automobile and industrial manufacturing. Fuel-saving and emission benefits are available due to the reduced weight of materials using NAFEN™-reinforced composite materials. These are particularly important to the aerospace, aviation and automobile industries where fuel-saving and environmental benefits add up significantly over time.
Speaking of ANF Technology’s attendance at the SAMPE May 2013 event, Tim Ferland, Business Development Manager for North America and western Europe, said:
”SAMPE is a great opportunity for us to meet with pioneers in the composite field as well as with many of the composite sector’s key customers. As part of the value chain we are looking forward to demonstrating the cost and energy saving benefits that come with the performance-boosting capabilities that NAFEN™-inside composite materials can offer. Listening to feedback from our customers in the composite sector helps us to tailor neat nanotechnology product solutions to complex application problems.”
SAMPE provides a global forum for information, education and professional fellowship amongst leaders in the field of cutting-edge applications in materials and process engineering. ANF Technology Ltd will be amongst 350 of the leading companies worldwide attending this year’s event, bringing together the very latest scientific research and industrial know-how in advanced materials and process engineering.
ANF Technology Ltd currently has key research and development partnerships with scientific and research institutions including The Fraunhofer Institute (Germany), Cambridge University (UK), Oxford University (UK), University of Grenoble (France), University of Twente (Netherlands), Boreskov Institute of Catalysts SB RAS (Russia), VILS (Russia), MISiS (Russia) and Tallinn Technical University (Estonia).