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- NEC's R&D
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- Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment
- The beginnings of Environment-friendly plastics development -Environment-friendly petroleum-based flame-retardant plastics-
- From petroleum-based plastics to baiomass-based plastics (bioplastics)
- Tackling the development of biomass-based plastics -(Bioplastics) for electronic equipment-
- Kenaf fiber-reinforced polylactic acid
- Flame-retardant polylactic acid
- Bioplastics combining shape memory and recyclability
- High-thermal conductivity polylactic acid composite materials
- Three-layered nano-filler for toughening bioplastic
- Development of a High Performance Bioplastic with a High Plant Ratio by Using Non-edible Plant Resources
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Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment
Tackling the development of biomass-based plastics -(Bioplastics) for electronic equipment-
Bioplastics can be classified into three basic types, according to how they are made: by microbial production, by chemical synthesis, and by natural processes. Polylactic acid, for example, is being mass-produced by chemical synthesis using raw materials derived from corn. Due to the fact that it has a relatively high heat-resistance for a bioplastic, it is already being used for some parts of the casing of electronic equipment.
However, before it can be used more widely in electronic equipment, the material performance of polylactic acid needs to be enhanced further. It is still significantly inferior to conventional petroleum-based plastics for heat resistance and strength (e.g. impact strength), and it has not yet been possible to make a high-safety, flame-retardant formula (without halogen additives). In addition, resin crystallization rate is slow during molding, so its moldability needs to be improved too. A number of companies are pursuing technical development work to overcome these problems, but up to now, most of their formulas contain a large quantity (approx. 50%) of petroleum-based components, such as petroleum-based plastics, which reduces the environmental benefits offered by polylactic acid bioplastics.
Thus at NEC we are striving to improve the performance of polylactic acid so that it can be used in electronic equipment, so as to fully preserve its environment-friendly properties (high biomass-based component ratio + safety). This is done by using predominantly biomass-based additives to improve its practicability, and also through research on how to enhance it with added value by endowing it with desirable new properties. More specifically, we are making polylactic acid formulas that display excellent heat resistance and mechanical strength, using biomass-based additives such as kenaf fiber, which offers a high global-warming prevention factor. On top of this, we have successfully achieved flame retardancy without using any harmful substances such as halogens, by incorporating environmentally safe, heat-absorbing additives (metal hydroxides). Currently, we are working to develop bioplastics that offer a performance attribute that has not yet been achieved: the combination of shape memory and recyclability.
