Polyketone - where did it go?

[Pud]

Chatting in the office today, the subject of Carilon (Shell trade name) came up. We remembered it being sold as the "next big thing" - a cheaper replacement for POM and PA12 etc.

Wikipedia says production stopped in 2006.

Polyketone

Any ideas why? Or are there other polymers which never made it?

www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

It's ok to soar like an eagle, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

 

[Demon3]

Wikipedia says Shell stopped production but SRI International still make it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyketone

Could be expected to make a come-bask as it's made from carbon monoxide which makes for a "green" plastic.

And yes, there are other polymers that didn't make it.

Curv is one of the best materials ever but took 15 years to find an application. Now used in Samsonite suitcases so it's not easy to succeed. In general new plastics take 15 years to find their killer application (e.g. Basotect or Styrolux from BASF).

Syndiotactic PS is an amazing material which was dropped by Dow but still sold my Idemitsu. That should do really well eventually. Semicrystalline PS with great chemical resistance and HDT.

Chris DeArmitt

Expert consulting & training

http://www.phantomplastics.com

 

[Pud]

Hi Chris,

Yes, but Styrolux, Curv and Basotect are not actually "new" polymers - but variation on a theme/new processing methods.

I would have thought with all the technology now - such as gene manipulation/construction and drug molecule synthesis etc., it it not beyond the wit of man to come up with a novel polymer.

sPS - yes, I am aware of that. I'm sure we moulded some as a trial years ago. Looks good, but don't Idemistu make a high temp clear polymer (used for lab stuff) also. Which you can never get? (Forget the name - something like P4MT??)

And yes, I am an optimist!

H

www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

It's ok to soar like an eagle, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

 

[Demon3]

I've made two new polymers does that count?

Polydiphenylamine sulfonate (self-doped, water-soluble, conductive polymer).

EDTA copolymerized with PEG (first degradable ionomer made of food approved, edible monomers).

I can assure you neither achieved commercial success.

PEN never took off as far as I know.

Chris DeArmitt

Expert consulting & training

http://www.phantomplastics.com

 

[Demon3]

One truly new one I made and am just trying to commercialize is ThermoShift. Changes transparency reversibly with temperature. Had inquiries from many major companies but they are slow to act. You will find people scream for innovation then fail to do anything with it.

Chris DeArmitt

Expert consulting & training

http://www.phantomplastics.com