Green plastic powered by FOM, Michelin, SKF and DPI
Partnership begins research project on polymer reinforcement
The FOM Foundation is forming a partnership with Michelin, SKF and Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI) to gain a better fundamental understanding of how polymers are reinforced by adding fillers. Today the partners signed the contract for this new FOM Industrial Partnership Programme that has a budget of 1.6 million euros. Nearly all 'plastic' objects around us consist of polymers that have been reinforced with fillers to improve their physical properties. The researchers have set their sights high: they want to be the first to make a quantitative connection between the macroscale properties and performances of these reinforced materials and their structure at the molecular level. The partners will jointly deploy a wide range of advanced techniques to study the network structures at the mesoscale.
Filled polymers
The 'filled' polymers are used for many applications, for example, in tyres (Michelin), sealing solutions in bearing applications (SKF) and a range of other types of plastic or rubber (DPI).
Yet at a fundamental level, we still do not know how fillers reinforce the polymer network. This is the key question to be answered during the next four years by the FOM researchers at the University of Amsterdam, the FOM institute AMOLF, Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Glasgow, together with researchers from the participating companies.
Unique training
The research programme will give five PhD students and one postdoc researcher the opportunity to work on a fundamental problem of major industrial relevance. These young researchers will work in university laboratories but also have access to the research facilities at SKF and Michelin. The unique combination of many different state-of-the-art experimental techniques makes this programme particularly interesting for young talented researchers.
Programme leader Professor Daniel Bonn from the University of Amsterdam is enthusiastic about the new Industrial Partnership Programme that has now been given the green light: "Although many researchers are or have been working on this problem, we have yet to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties. It's great that we can now use a large number of highly advanced image-processing techniques to try to establish a quantitative link between the micro- and macroscales for the first time. Achieving that really would be a significant breakthrough. Fortunately FOM, DPI and the industrial partners agree with us!"
Green tyres, seals and energy saving
Using various types of fillers, researchers are trying to change the mechanical properties (and, to a certain extent, the control) of a wide range of polymer systems. Michelin and SKF both have an interest in these systems. In the tyre industry, carbon black is still the most used filler substance. Nowadays the trend is towards 'green tyres' and carbon black is gradually being replaced by silica as a filler. Such a polymer-silica system is easier to control and characterise than the old polymer-carbon black system. This has opened up possibilities for research into the various physical processes that underlie the reinforcement of polymers by fillers. The most important challenge is linking the microstructure of the filled polymer to the macroscopic (non-linear) elasticity of the materials. Understanding such a relationship would help SKF, for example, to produce even more energy-efficient bearings by controlling the properties of sealing materials. These are typically silica-filled elastomers, which can be responsible for at least half of the friction produced within a bearing.
About FOM
The Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) promotes, coordinates and finances fundamental physics research in the Netherlands. It is an autonomous foundation that is accountable to the Physics Division of the national research council NWO. With about 1100 employees and an annual budget of 92 million euros, FOM realises physics research of international top quality within four institutes and 180 university research groups in the Netherlands. FOM has made an annual budget of 3 million euros available for cooperation with industrial researchers (Industrial Partnership Programmes). See www.fom.nl.
About Michelin
Making a sustainable contribution to mobility for people and goods: that's the mission at Michelin, one of the world leaders in tires. The Michelin Group manufactures and sells tires for all types of vehicles. Innovation has been at the heart of Michelin's development since it was founded in 1889. For Michelin, increasing safety, lengthening tires' lifespans, lessening environmental impact by reducing fuel consumption and discovering new materials are all ways to add value to its technological prowess and the progress it makes, thanks to solutions developed and tested around the world. The Group, whose headquarters are located in Clermont-Ferrand (France), is present in 170 countries and employs 110,000 people around the world. Michelin's industrial activities are spread across 70 production sites located in 18 countries and it has a Technology Center with locations in Europe, North America and Asia. See www.michelin.com.
About SKF
The SKF Group is one of the leading global suppliers of products, solutions and services in the areas of rolling bearings, seals, mechatronics, services and lubrication systems. The Group's service offer also includes technical support, maintenance services, condition monitoring and training. SKF was founded in 1907 and right from the start it has had a strong focus on quality, technical development and marketing. The Group's research and development efforts have led to a growing number of innovations, which have resulted in the creation of new standards and products in the bearing world. Today, SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has more than 100 manufacturing locations. See www.SKF.com.
About DPI
DPI was founded in 1997 as a Technological Top Institute, linking scientific knowledge in the area of polymers to the industrial demand for innovation. DPI research offers added value to universities as well as trade & industry, thereby contributing to economic development in the Netherlands. Universities benefit from the scientific publications and trade & industry reap the rewards of intellectual property and the opportunities to develop new activities. About 200 researchers are currently involved in DPI projects in almost 50 knowledge institutions around the world. Thirty-five national and international organisations participate in DPI research. See www.polymers.nl
For more information, please contact:
- Prof. Daniel Bonn, programme leader, +31 (0)20 525 58 87
- Dr Pieter de Witte, programme officer FOM, +31 (0)30 600 12 73
- Marc Couty, research scientist, Michelin
- Babak Hosseinkhani, research scientist, SKF
- Christianne Bastiaens, Communications, Dutch Polymer Institute, +31 (0)40 247 40 26