Nanocomposites subject of industry-government research group

Thirteen companies and the National Research Council Industrial Materials Institute (NRC-IMI) have formed an R&D partnership to explore the development of polymer nancomposites. Called PNC-Tech, the venture will invest $300,000/year in R&D focused on polymer nanocomposites, which are plastic resins with small amounts of nano-sized additives, usually clay.
“NRC continues to be a pioneer in finding innovative methods to bring cutting-edge technologies directly to industry,” said Dr. Arthur Carty, NRC president. “PNC-Tech brings together scientists who will move the technology forward and industrial partners that will define specific needs and applications for these materials.”
NRC-IMI had already been pursing nanocomposite research with some success. Johanne Denault, an NRC-IMI researcher, told Canadian Plastics late in 2002 that the Institute had developed a melt-blending process for nanocomposite polypropylene.
PNC-Tech is the first multi-partner R&D initiative for nanocomposites in Canada, and one of the first in the world. It brings together partners from many different sectors of industry who share a common interest in high performance materials.
The partner companies currently in PNC-Tech are: General Motors of Canada, Dow Chemical Company, CLS3 Inc., Atlantic Composites Ltd., IPL, Crompton Corp., Decoma International Inc., Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Qubec (IREQ), Mark IV Automotive, Akzo Nobel, ShawCor Ltd, Sealed Air (Canada) and SNC TEC. Many other partners, including leading universities, are expected to join PNC-Tech in the coming weeks and months, increasing the scope of this initiative.
The first meeting of PNC-Tech members was held May 13 in Longueuil, QC, to define the specific research activities of the project and to kick-off the R&D activities.
The NRC’s Industrial Materials Institute, located in Longueuil, is a research and development centre focused on materials, their formulation and forming, as well as the control of their processes. IMI works primarily in the metallurgy, polymer, aerospace, automotive and biomedical sectors.