Genius – a leading Chinese company in engineering plastics and new composite
materials – and OCSiAl, one of the world leaders in the production of graphene nanotubes – have developed an advanced engineering solution for battery packs. They utilize reinforced glass fiber filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), with 0.3 wt.% graphene nanotubes replacing 10 wt.% conductive carbon black. The final parts show surface resistivity of 103 Ohm/sq after injection molding and fully meet the high battery standard.
Traditional agents added into thermoplastics have numerous drawbacks, increasing the number of out-of-spec parts and forcing producers to make compromises in performance: carbon black can’t provide stable and homogenous electrical conductivity, while carbon fiber can’t providetargeted low resistivity.
“In contrast to conventional additives, graphene nanotubes used at an ultra-low effective concentration make it possible to preserve the outstanding chemical and thermal performance of high glass filled PPS, including its dimensional stability at ambient conditions. What’s more, they preserve the required MFI level and impact viscosity, thereby
providing acceptable injectability, which is hard to achieve using multi-wall carbon nanotubes,”- said Loyes Zhi, Managing Director of Sales and Commercial for Greater China & SEA, OCSiAl Group.
An easy-to-handle pre-dispersed concentrate of nanotubes, TUBALLTM MATRIX, allows good processability and the freedom to incorporate other functional ingredients. Permanent homogenous resistivity without “hot spots,” retained color, good surface quality, and high
performance of the battery pack reduce the assembly costs of battery enclosures, increasing their safety, durability, compliance, and affordability, which are the major drivers on the EV market.