Emerald Specialty Polymers, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, has introduced Nychem Poly4000 latex, a specialized waterborne, polybutadiene homopolymer for plastics impact modification and specialty adhesives.
The new product is the latest addition to the group’s line of Nychem latex emulsions and further expands the range of offerings into new application areas. Nychem Poly4000 is the softest polymer in the product line and can be used to modify the impact resistance of more brittle engineered thermoplastics, a new end-use application, and enhance low-temperature performance in applications such as adhesives.
“In the new plastics modification application, Nychem Poly4000 acts similar to a shock absorber when used in a matrix of a more brittle polymer, diffusing stresses that can lead to cracking and failure. The latex may also be used to produce a core shell polymer,” said Jeffrey Mathys, Ph.D., R&D manager for Emerald Specialty Polymers. “For these applications, Nychem Poly4000 was optimized with a consistent particle size for greater control and latitude in engineering the polymer.”
Once impact-modified polymers have been synthesized with a Nychem Poly4000 butadiene rubber core, manufacturers can incorporate these materials into end uses such as thermoplastic elastomers, impact resistant plastics, hydrogels and other high-impact end uses. Nychem Poly4000 is also suitable for use in transparent materials.