Poly-X: new-to-the-world ultra-light polymer with the strength of a metal
A new class of premium polymeric materials combining lightweight with metal-like strength, ductility, and scratch-resistance (in line with magnesium or even titanium)
Benefits
- Lightweight, strong, and ductile
- Highly fire resistant
- Impervious to strong acids and bases
- Scratch resistant
- Exceptionally machinable
- Thermoplastic
- Transparent
Issue
The aerospace industry has been searching for years for materials combining exceptional strength and lightweight.
Existing materials have limitations like:
- the brittleness of ceramics,
- the challenges of fiber alignment in fiber reinforced plastics;
- the weight of metal.
Other industries such as oil&gas, healthcare, semiconductors or smart devices are facing similar challenges with regard to finding materials that offer very high strength together with a combination of other exceptional features.
Solution
We have developed a new class of polymeric materials - Poly-X, addressing all of those gaps in a single material. Key figures:
- density 1.2g/cm3
- tensile modulus as high as 8.5 GPa
- strength of up to 200MPa in the polymer itself
- rockwell hardness up to 64 (B scale)
- limiting oxygen index up to 55%
- heat deflection temperature around 155°C
- thermal expansion coefficient 30-33ppm/°C
- dielectric constant 3.1 (at 10^6Hz)
- moisture absorption (30 days) as a low as 0.58%
Comparison with other materials:
- average strength to failure 5-10 times that of carbon-fiber filled PEEK despite having data sheet tensile strength 25% lower
- cheaper and more corrosion resistant than titanium
- better machinability & longer life than ceramics
Other properties:
- highly fire resistant: insulates and doesn't burn even if exposed to heat over 2000°C
- virtually impervious to very strong acids and bases
- transparent amber-coloured