SouthWest NanoTechnologies Introduces New Category of Carbon Nanotube Known as "Specialty" Multi-Wall

SouthWest NanoTechnologies (SWeNT), a privately-held specialty materials company that manufactures high quality single-wall and specialty multi-wall carbon nanotubes for a range of products, today introduced a new category of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) materials it refers to as "Specialty" Multi-Wall (SMW).

These new SWeNT® SMW 100 materials were developed for polymer composites that require better electrical and mechanical performance than are possible from conventional Multi-Wall CNT, without the cost or dispersion difficulties associated with Single-Wall CNT. Target applications for SMW materials include conductive polymers, reinforced elastomers, and “Bucky Paper” materials for structural composite manufacturing.

“SWeNT’s new specialty multiwall category fills the ‘space’ between SWCNT and conventional Multiwall CNT,” explains Rick Jansen, vice president of sales and marketing for SouthWest Nano. “Traditional Multi-Wall CNT products are typically used as a conductive additive for thermoplastic polymers, enabling molded plastic parts to be sufficiently electrically conductive and provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. However, this electrical conductivity benefit often results in mechanical properties being compromised compared with the unfilled polymer. SMW can reduce or eliminate this compromise at a fraction of the cost of Single-Wall CNT.”

CEO Dave Arthur added: “Our first SMW offering, SWeNT® SMW 100, opens up several new market opportunities for us. Previously, SWeNT has mainly focused on coatings applications. With SMW 100, we can now provide an affordable alternative to Single-Wall CNT for bulk applications like polymer composites. The improved performance of SMW 100 compared with traditional Multi-Wall CNT is due to the structure of the tubes: fewer walls and smaller diameter than traditional Multi-Wall CNT. This results in less “wasted” carbon (since only the outer walls contribute to conductivity) and less breakage of tubes during compounding (since the tubes have fewer defects and exhibit greater flexibility).”

SWeNT® SMW 100 materials are produced in SWeNT’s new, state-of-the-art CNT manufacturing plant in Norman, OK, using the same CoMoCAT® process platform that has allowed SWeNT to take the lead in Single-Wall CNTs due to its quality, consistency and scalability.

outhWest NanoTechnologies, Inc. (SWeNT) is . SWeNT, headquartered in Norman, Oklahoma, was formed in 2001