Efficient all-rounders

Plastics are real all-rounders. That may be easy to say – but in the case of high-performance polymers it is true. High-performance polymers make engines more efficient, help save energy, purify water and keep the air clean. In all things, great and small, they demonstrate their inherent capabilities.

Modern automobiles, for example, are being transformed into so-called high-efficiency cars. This is good, because in the end very few people are prepared to sacrifice their mobility. For this reason, the car of the future must be a zero-emission creature, i.e. it has to “exhale” cleanly and “inhale” economically. The polymer specialist, Ticona, was quick to recognize the signs of the times and, back in 2004,  presented a fully functional prototype of a fuel cell produced with high-performance plastics. In current vehicle models, a wide variety of different plastics is already replacing conventional materials, especially metal, in under the hood applications, vehicle interiors and the chassis. The polymer content in new vehicles is already 15 percent and will continue to increase. This is because, in addition to saving weight and fuel, lighter materials help the automotive industry produce cars that are more efficient, safer and more comfortable.

On the subject of the environment

The need for clean air and pure water makes high demands on filter systems. This is where the filter medium has a key role to play. In the flue gas purification unit of a waste-fired combined heat and power station in Leverkusen, for example, filter media based on polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) are used. These filter hoses made from Fortron^® PPS help to meet the ambitious emission reduction targets set by the operators and legislators and, even after ten years’ service, show no significant mechanical or chemical wear. With its outstanding heat resistance and ability to withstand aggressive media, Fortron^® PPS high-performance plastic is just made for such challenging filter applications.

Water – precious yet powerful element

GUR^® ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene from Ticona, by contrast, is at home in quite another element, namely water. Filter media based on this engineering polymer make an effective contribution to treatment of industrial wastewater. They ‘screen’ mechanically and act like a sponge in the filter core. In this way, pollutants are filtered out of the water, so restoring a precious resource – a property that makes GUR^® PE-UHMW a promising candidate for use in safeguarding the water supply in crisis regions of the world.

GUR^® ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene also demonstrates its resilience and toughness in the gigantic Maeslant storm surge barrier in the Netherlands. The barrier gate trusses – each a quarter of a kilometer long – hinge on two steel ball joints anchored in foundations containing 52 000 tonnes of concrete. GUR^® pads are inserted into the ball-joint shell segments to bear the weight of the steel balls, which weigh many tonnes. The pads cushion the enormous force acting on the shell segments and so ensure smooth operation of the colossal barrier gates that protect Rotterdam and the surounding area from storm surge flooding.

Efficient lighting systems

Ticona polymers are making a valuable contribution to climate protection in LEDs. Light-emitting diodes use energy very efficiently. By switching to modern lighting technology, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions could be reduced by 28 megatonnes per year in Europe alone. To produce more compact housings for new lighting designs, manufacturers are relying on proven materials such as Vectra^® liquid crystalline polymer (LCP). Now the first vehicles with innovative lighting technology are starting to come off the production line. But that is not the end of the story. Development engineers are already working on the use of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as a light source so that, in future, even more energy can be saved.