The future for thermoplastic elastomers

Thermoplastic elastomers have now been available for over 30 years and the writer recalls organising a conference on these materials in 1969. In spite of considerable publicity since that time these materials still only comprise about 5-10% of the rubber market (equivalent to about 1-2% of total plastics consumption). It is important to appreciate that simply being a thermoplastic material (and hence being processed and reprocessed like a thermoplastic plastics material) is not enough to ensure widespread application. Crucially the material must have acceptable properties for a potential end-use and at a finished product price advantageous over other materials. 

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Among the contrarians, Bayer has had for historical reasons a different approach to the problem of remaining a well-rounded producer of chemicals. It has always been a leader in such specialty chemicals as plastics and rubber additives and supplies master batches through its subsidiary Rhein Chemie. Its polymers are mainly centered on synthetic elastomers and specialty plastics like polyurethanes and polycarbonates that Bayer itself develops. These are not subjected to the cutthroat competition that commodity thermoplastics are. Bayer has remained involved in aroma chemicals with a well-known subsidiary, Haarmann Reimer. In pharmaceuticals the company occupies an honorable rank, although in the future its management may want to separate that branch from the rest of its activities in preparation for further alliances. Like BASF, Bayer considers its agrochemical line as a core business. However, unlike BASF, it is less interested in integrating upstream production to oil raw... 

Elastomeric PPs are a new class of materials with a higher thermal stability than polyethylenes and a good elasticity without crosslinking. Elastomeric PPs have a low abrasion resistance and a high resilience at small elongations. Futhermore, new foamed materials based on thermoplastic olefmic elastomers (TPO) are important for the future. TPO consists of 50% of polypropylene and completes the range of PP foams for elastomeric foam applications. 

By itself, a summary of the history of polyether block amide thermoplastic elastomers would indeed be a relatively short story as these types of resins are still quite young in terms of commercial development. However, the rapid market acceptance and future growth potential for this new class of engineering resins makes the documentation of their development a worthwhile endeavor at this time. To complete the story on polyether block amides, a review of the chemistry, properties and major end-uses of these resins is also included. 

Following the U.S. introduction of PEBAX in 1981, a market for the product rapidly developed. Based On the apparent future demand for this new family of resins, a commercial production facility for polyether block amide thermoplastic elastomers was brought on Stream in the U.S. 

This book focuses on bio-based plastics. It emphasizes materials that are presently in use or that show a significant potential for future applications. It presents a broad, up-to-date but concise overview of basic and applied aspects of bioplastics. The main focus is on thermoplastic polymers for material use. Elastomers, thermosets and coating applications, Uke, for example, natural rubber or alkyd resins, will be covered in other volumes of the series. 

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