PBTs aimed to replace syndiotactic polystyrene

Ticona has announced a line of new and existing PBT and liquid crystal polymer grades targeted processors looking for alternatives to syndiotactic polystyrene. Dow Chemical discontinued its line of Questra sPS crystalline polymers in December of last year because of lower than expected growth. The sPS materials were intended to compete with PBTs and other high-end engineering materials in automotive and electronic applications.

Ticona is offering five Celanex PBTs as sPS replacement grades. Two are commercially available for sampling, while three others are in various stages of validation testing at sPS-using customers. The final three grades should be commercially available in the near future. The PBT grades offer excellent flow, hydrolytic stability, low warpage and a good balance of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties.

The company is also offering two commercial Vectra LCP grades as sPS replacements for applications that involve exposure to high temperatures, such as surface mount connectors that must withstand reflow soldering.

“The portfolio of PBTs and LCPs we’ve assembled gives manufacturers a wide choice of options for sPS replacement,” said Pete Bombik, Ticona polyester product manager. “But sPS replacement involves much more than high flow. Recognizing this we’ve developed some tools to help end users and molders select the right resin for a given application to speed up their validation process.”

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