JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011 - 23

Emerging trends in nanomaterials for the composites industry.

airframe components such as wings and fuselage. In the wind energy market, Vestas is using carbon nanotubes for lightning protection of turbines. In the composites industry, carbon nanotubes are used in prepreg, which thereafter is used for the making of composite parts in a variety of applications. Hexcel, Toray, and other prepreg manufacturers are supplying nano-based prepregs to their customers.

Trend 3: Government support and R & D funding
Numerous governments are actively taking part in the development of nanotechnology and nanomaterials as well. Asian countries are spending a huge amount of money in the research and development of nanomaterials and so are North America and Europe. Japan showed a considerable inclination towards nanotechnology development, spending approximately $1 billion on nanotechnology R&D in 2010. The spending on nanotechnology is expected to grow at 23% annually until 2016. RusNano, a Russian nanocomposites company, is investing billions of dollars to promote Russian Government policy in the field of nanotechnology.
More information: www.lucintel.com Source: The data included in this article was adapted from a much more extensive Lucintel market study entitled “Growth Opportunity in Nanomaterials 2011-2016”

for high strength, durable structural materials for industries such as sporting goods, aerospace and defense. As carbon nanotubes are 100 times stiffer than steel and several times lighter than aluminum, they are best suited for high performance applications. Some of the emerging trends in nanomaterials for the composites industry are as follows: 1. Falling nanomaterials prices 2. Acceptance of nanomaterials in high performance composite applications 3. Government support and R & D funding

Trend 1: Falling nanomaterials prices
The prices of nanomaterials are falling considerably and thus generating significant

interest from part fabricators. In past 10 years, the prices of multiwall carbon nanotube fell nearly 1000 times. The prices of nanomaterials such as fullerenes, dendrimers and graphenes have also fallen significantly in the past five years. Moreover, nanomaterial suppliers are increasing their production capacity while driving the cost down. For example, Arkema, a European nanomaterial supplier is increasing its carbon nanotube capacity by 20 times in 2011 from 20 tons /yr in 2009 to 400 ton/yr in 2011. CNano, headquartered in California, brought online another 500 ton/yr capacity for CNT production. The new and improved production procedures such as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

No65 May - June 2011 / jec composites magazine

and Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) have made mass production of nanomaterials possible.

Trend 2: Acceptance of nanomaterials in high performance composite applications
Nanomaterials are gaining acceptance in a variety of composite applications. In sporting goods, nanomaterials are already used in golf shafts, hockey sticks, bicycle tubes, skis, tennis rackets, sailboat masts and more. TaylorMade and AccuFLEX use nanotube in golf shafts for stronger, lighter and more durable golf shafts. In aerospace applications, Boeing and Airbus are experimenting with nanomaterials in the manufacture of composite

http://www.lucintel.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011