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Solvay's vinyls joint venture in Europe, SolVin, has launched NanoVin®, an innovative nanocomposite combining polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and nanoparticles of clay. This specialty product displays exceptional properties in terms of plasticity, viscosity and flow. These distinctive rheological properties make NanoVin® a so-called ‘smart material’, capable of sensing and reacting to changes in its environment.
Nanocomposites are materials that are created by introducing nanoparticles into a macroscopic sample material. The process can drastically modify and improve the electrical and thermal conductivity as well as the mechanical strength properties and viscosity of the original material.
Nanoparticles are microscopic particles whose size is measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter). It is defined as a particle with at least one dimension inferior to 100 nanometers.
A shear thinning material is one in which viscosity decreases with the rate of shear - i.e. as stress is applied in parallel to the surface of the material. This property is found in certain complex solutions, such as paint, nail polish, tomato ketchup and whipped cream.
More specifically, NanoVin® is a ready-to-use product suitable for PVC paste applications, which require non-dripping and shear-thinning properties – meaning that the viscosity of the material decreases when a shear stress is applied to it and recovers a high value when the stress is released. These applications include for instance bodywork in the automotive industry as well as so-called thick coatings, such as artificial leather.
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