PU-based Composites as Sustainable Choice for Rubber Replacement

Abstract

Current manufacture of various high-performance articles for automotive and industrial markets relies heavily on the utility of thermosetting rubbers due to well documented advantages of these materials such as the abrasion and impact resistance, traction, fatigue and low creep. In response to continuous needs expressed by our customers, the leading global manufacturers, to improve process efficiency and provide more environmentally and economically sustainable solutions, we identified and developed alternative technologies based on thermoplastic materials, enabling customers a significant reduction in cycle time and provide them with fully recyclable material options. While the BASF portfolio of the thermoplastic materials is quite extended, only thermoplastic elastomers combine the unique properties of being relatively soft, while retaining their rubber-like behavior, superior abrasion and creep resistance through wide range of temperatures. As a result, various TPU materials and the TPU-based composites and alloys have been developed and evaluated for selected performance criteria. Various thermo-mechanical analyses of the TPU compounds will be presented and discussed in the context of rubber replacement. 

About the Speaker

Sam Kharchenko has joined BASF on July-28, 2014 as a Sr. Scientist and has been responsible for product development programs and strategies for applications of new products and new applications for existing materials, most recently, in the area of thermoplastic polyurethanes.

Sam joins BASF from Amcor Rigid Plastics were he participated in the development of the breakthrough blow molding and filling manufacturing technology trademarked Liquiform that relied on using the liquids to simultaneously form and fill the actual containers.

Prior to that, Sam had spent 8 years at Masco Corporation’s R&D, developing novel and alternative materials, processes and technologies across various Masco Business Units, including the polyurethane-based composite structures and the heat reflective coatings for building and construction markets.

After completing his PhD studies at Wayne State University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, were he explored the role of the molecular architecture on the rheo-optical behavior of hyperbranched polymers, he spent 3 years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Polymers Division with focus on understanding and control of the polymer melt flow instabilities as well as on processability and electrical properties of carbon nanotube dispersions.

Sam is married, has two daughters and lives in Ann Arbor. His hobbies include photography, chess, badminton and the alpine skiing.