Replacement of Traditional Materials

The potential use of ABS both inside and outside the car has almost reached saturation as the material has almost completely replaced die-cast metal in key applications such as light and mirror surrounds. PC/ABS blends however remain a popular choice for instrument panels in some luxury models and demand will continue to grow. PC/ABS should also see good growth prospects in navigation systems housing. 

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The worldwide commercialization of polymer blends has been directed at the replacement of traditional materials, such as metals and ceramics. Even though plastics can be more costly than other types of materials on a weight basis, they are often more economical in terms of production and manufacturing cost, mainly attributed to the less complex assembly of plastic parts that can be easily formed in complex-finished shapes [1, 21-26], Blending is a convenient route to the time-efficient and cost-effective upgrading of commodity resins and to the tailoring of these resins to specific performance profiles for the desired application. The most common polymer blends and their applications are described below. 

Of the various chemical classes of UV stabilizers that have been developed, the benzophenone and benzotriazole UV absorbers, the hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS), and their combinations continue to satisfy the UV stabilization requirements of most of the large-volume outdoor polymer applications. In addition, many new stabilizer chemistries, such as UV absorbers based on hydrox-yphenyl triazines, have been developed for more demanding applications or to satisfy specific market needs. Light stabilizers together with other additives (qv), such as antioxidants (qv), impact modifiers, colorants (qv), fillers, heat stabilizers (qv) and plasticizers (qv), have enhanced the properties and extended the service life of polymeric materials, resulting in the replacement of traditional materials in a multitude of outdoor weatherable applications. 

Replacement of traditional materials such as metal and thermosets because of their lighter weight, ease of processing, design flexibility and lower total cost. 

Metal replacement has been a key driver of demand for polyaeetal in automotive applications. Most of the potential replacement has however already occurred and so replacement of traditional materials will be a lower influence on future growth trends. 

In the past decades, polymer materials have been continuously replacing more traditional materials such as paper, metal, glass, stone, wood, natural fibres and natural rubber in the fields of clothing industry, E E components, automotive materials, aeronautics, leisure, food packaging, sports goods, etc. Without the existence of suitable polymer materials progress in many of these areas would have been limited. Polymer materials are appreciated for their chemical, physical and economical qualities including low production cost, safety aspects and low environmental impact (cf. life-cycle analysis). 

Arboform, a composite of lignin, hemp and flax developed by the Fraunhofer Institute, is proposed to replace more traditional materials in the automotive industry. 

Thermoplastic materials may be obtained by extrusion in the presence of water at temperatures as high as 160-200 °C. If an external plasticizer (i.e., glycerol or sorbitol) is added, the glass transition temperature decreases. Even though these materials are fully biodegradable, their affinity with water is a big inconvenience when they are considered for the replacement of traditional plastic materials. Blends and chemical modifications are required to overcome these problems. 

The consumption of each polymer is immediately mirrored by the consumption of the fillers used in this polymer. The most recent changes in PVC consumption were reflected in the consumption of fillers. At the same time, future trends and developments in fillers are more related to the advances of plastics as they replace many traditional materials. For plastics to give the required performance, new filler technology was required. Current developments allow us to predict some future directions in filler markets. These technologies will become more important ... 

Recently, in the electrochemistry research, a combination of IL and nanotechnology has been used [35, 36]. The catalytic activities of palladium nanoparticles and IL in alkene hydrogenation were reported [37], It is also used as an electrolyte in batteries, solar panels, fuel cells, etc. ILs, which show up as an alternative solvent for green process, are now not only used for replacement of traditional solvents but are also applied as material for other clean technology, for example, the fuel desulfurization and flow gas desulfurization [38-40],... 

The production of durable functional products without using petroleum based raw materials is a focus of much academic research today but it is also prioritized by many industries. Many questions still remain concerning the use, production and properties of biobased and/or degradable polymers and whether or not they are more environmentally friendly than oil-based products. Polylactide is a bio-based compostable thermoplastic that is considered as one of the most promising materials for replacement of traditional volume plastics. The properties of polylactide can be tuned to... 

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