Dow PARALOID™ Impact Modifiers for Infrastructure

Infrastructure grants play a critical role in shaping societies and economies. The demand for enhanced performance, increased durability, and extended service life of infrastructure projects necessitate exploring innovative materials and technologies. Dow PARALOID™ impact modifiers and processing aids exhibit promising attributes for infrastructure applications.

The Build Back Better Act offers investment opportunities for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin compounders and masterbatches. The U.S. vinyl industry accounts for about 47% of PVC resin produced as PVC pipes for building and construction applications. Recent federal infrastructure investments toward clean water will provide nearly $55 billion for new water infrastructure, which will help the ongoing growth of PVC. Engineered plastic resins, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC), offer structural and nonstructural benefits because they have better mechanical, thermal, or electronic properties than standard plastic resins. All these engineered polymers require plastic additives such as an acrylic impact modifier or processing aid to improve their longevity in challenging infrastructure applications.
 

• $63 Billion Water Infrastructure
• $7.5 Billion EV Infrastructure (Charging Stations)
• $65 Billion Power Grid (Renewable Energy)
• $110 Billion Roads and Bridges
• $65 Billion Broadband

Why Dow PARALOID™ Impact Modifiers?

PARALOID™ impact modifiers and processing additives allow polymer manufacturers to exceptionally engineer resins, such as PVC, by enhancing strength and facilitating a better fusion or overall melt homogeneity. Depending on your application, various PARALOID™ impact modifier grades offer high performance and impact resistance while aiding the polymer's processability. 

Domestically Integrated Impact Modifiers and Processing Aids

Dow PARALOID™ impact modifiers and processing aids are compatible with various resins and formulation types.

Water Infrastructure

 
PVCs are crucial polymer materials that help improve U.S. water infrastructure by providing a clean and reliable water supply. Aging infrastructure materials, such as lead, are dangerous for safe water consumption. Even if these aging water pipes are not toxic, materials like steel and iron can degrade over time, creating new problems like crucial water loss, corrosion, and increased break rates. PVC pipes resist corrosion and are free from biofilm contamination. Strength in impact and temperature is essential for the longevity of water infrastructure. However, due to the nature of PVC and processing challenges, incorporating an acrylic impact modifier and processing aid benefits not only the physical and mechanical properties of the extruded pipe but also the energy usage and efficiency of the manufacturer's operations.

PARALOID™ EXL-2330 is an acrylic core-shell modifier that offers high-impact strength even when exposed to low temperatures. PVC extrusion companies can benefit from utilizing compounds that incorporate PARALOID™ EXL-2330 for their bids for water infrastructure projects across the U.S. by sourcing domestically manufactured polymer additives that help with the lifetime of their finished product.

EV Infrastructure

 
Electric vehicles are poised for significant growth, and the U.S. electric grid requires investment to develop a national network of EV charging stations. These charging stations need to stand up to extreme conditions and weatherability factors. Engineered resins such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), and methacrylate butadiene styrene (MBS) offer EV components chemical resistance, stable color or transparency, and even heat resistance by blocking UV radiation. EV components require lightweight resins to meet charger housing requirements, such as replacing steel or aluminum, while offering impact performance.
 

To improve impact performance for EV charging stations, PARALOID™ impact modifiers and processing aids can provide low-temperature impact properties while easing the processing challenges. As a result, EV chargers equipped with PARALOID™ impact modifiers and processing aids exhibit improved durability, extended service life, enhanced manufacturing efficiency, and increased reliability, contributing to the overall development and adoption of electric vehicles.

Infrastructure Adhesives

Civil engineering applications for infrastructure require tough resin systems, such as epoxy, that can help protect from water, acid, and long-term UV exposure. Epoxy adhesives are especially beneficial for infrastructure as they improve mechanical performance, excellent adhesion, and flexibility.
 

However, epoxy requires a toughening agent, such as PARALOID™ TMS-2670J, to overcome its inherent brittleness. This dispersible core-shell rubber additive offers increased fracture strength, impact durability, and fatigue resistance for concrete structures. These structural bonding components will help aid with load-carrying capacity. PARALOID™ TMS-2670J enhances the interfacial bonding between the epoxy matrix and various substrates, such as metals, concrete, and other construction materials. This enhanced adhesion ensures stronger and more reliable joints, coatings, or overlays, minimizing the risk of delamination or failure in infrastructure applications.

Summary

Infrastructure applications demand tough materials that provide long-term performance and offer benefits such as domestically produced polymer materials to qualify for Build Back Better grants. Fill out a form today to talk to a technical specialist about which PARALOID™ impact modifier grade would work best for your application.
 

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