TESTS CONFIRM WOOD-PLASTIC IMPROVEMENTS WITH LOW LEVELS OF DUPONT FUSABOND

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TESTS CONFIRM WOOD-PLASTIC IMPROVEMENTS WITH LOW LEVELS OF DUPONT FUSABOND
23 May 2005 - DuPont Engineering Polymers

Recent tests of injection molded samples of high-density polyethylene with just 25 percent wood demonstrate that very small amounts of Fusabond W PC-576D can produce improvements in tensile strength and flex strength compared with composites containing no coupling agent. Earlier trials with a typical, highly filled extrusion formulation, HDPE with 55 percent wood, had shown that just 0.5 percent Fusabond W PC-576D can deliver a three-fold reduction in water absorption after 30 days, a two-fold increase in strength and higher stiffness versus no coupling agent.

A novel DuPont Fusabond coupling agent for wood-polyethylene composites can significantly improve strength and reduce water absorption at use levels as low as 0.5 percent. Called Fusabond W PC-576D, the coupling agent is prominently featured at the Forest Products Society's 8th International Conference on Woodfiber-Plastic Composites in Madison, Wis., May 23 – 25.

"Fusabond W PC-576D gives manufacturers an economical way to increase strength and rot resistance in both extruded and injection molded composites using wood or other cellulosic materials," said Megan O'Brien, marketing programs manager for DuPont Industrial Polymers. "And when an end use requires maximum performance, high impact resistance and stiffness in addition to high strength and low water uptake, our premium-performance grade, Fusabond E MB-226DE, can meet the need."

The performance of Fusabond W PC-576D results from a new coupling technology involving an ethylene copolymer with anhydride functionality incorporated in its polymer backbone. "This latest advance in DuPont polymer science allows us to build in much higher levels of anhydride than our earlier grades," O'Brien said. "This creates more sites for chemical links between cellulose fibers and the polymer matrix, thus enabling a small amount of Fusabond W PC-576D to produce significant improvements in the composite's performance."

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About: DuPont Engineering Polymers
The DuPont Engineering Polymers business manufactures and sells DuPont Crastin PBT and DuPont Rynite PET thermoplastic polyester resins, DuPont Delrin acetal resins, DuPont Hytrel thermoplastic polyester elastomers, DuPont ETPV engineering thermoplastic vulcanizates, DuPont Minlon mineral reinforced nylon resins, DuPont Thermx PCT polycyclohexylene dimethyl terephthalate, DuPont Tynex filaments, DuPont Vespel parts and shapes, DuPont Zenite LCP liquid crystal polymers and DuPont Zytel nylon resins.

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