Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.

Photo Credit: Nexx Technologies Nexx Technologies (New York City, N.Y., U.S.), the Advanced Materials division of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical America, is focused on providing composite solutions that can improve both fabrication productivity and parts quality. The resin systems and prepreg architecture offered by the company provide the minimization of out-time tracking or fear of material shelf life, as well as the ability to produce, ship and store finished rolls of prepreg without any refrigeration. Combined with distinctive prepreg architecture, Nexx Technologies says it is able to produce autoclave quality parts with a perfect, or near perfect, tool surface finish. These features have helped smaller to medium sized parts producers make parts of the same or better quality as the larger producers using autoclave cure processes. Nexx Technologies’ family of “no freezer” prepregs includes the NT-300, which is well suited for cosmetic and general purpose applications. It generally produces parts straight from the tool that are paint ready with zero or minimal body shop work required. For higher demand primary and secondary aerostructure applications, the NT-350HT is a higher strength and higher Tg product intended for these types of applications. The company says the NT-350HT also provides an excellent surface finish and can provide very low void content parts (often less than 1%). It also enables the production of autoclave-quality parts by vacuum bag only. The NT-350HT is also a variable cure material enabling vacuum bag, autoclave and snap cure capabilities (4 minutes at 350°F) with the same material. In addition to the modified epoxy products, Nexx Technologies also offers the NTC-425 cyanate ester system, which features an extended room temperature out time of 90-120 days, vacuum bag and autoclave processing in the same material and the ability to make thick panels without debulking. The NTB-500 BMI, the latest addition, is a toughened BMI, designed for high-temperature structures or any application requiring a high Tg and high mechanical properties.

Photo Credit: Getty Images The NTB-500 BMI resin system from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical America’s (New York City, N.Y., U.S.) advanced materials business unit, NEXX Technologies, is a prepreg system devised to be used in a range of high-temperature composite applications, such as radomes, launch vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), advanced air mobility (AAM) and satellites. Additionally, the NTB-500 BMI resin system is available on all fabrics and unidirectional (UD) tapes. It is designed to provide notable out-of-autoclave (OOA) processing using NEXX Technologies’ distinct engineered air release channels that provide Z-directional breathing along with a very low volatile resin chemistry. “NTB-500 BMI prepreg is a definite leap forward for NEXX Technologies’ advanced materials,” says Joseph Kidd, general manager at NEXX Technologies. “For years, there have been limited offerings for high-temp prepreg materials. With NTB-500 BMI, as with all of our prepreg products, we can expedite short lead times ranging from a few days to a few weeks. We are excited to expand our offerings to the market.”

Gelest has significantly upgraded and expanded the manufacturing and formulation capabilities for its BIOSAFE organosilane antimicrobial product line, dramatically improving efficiency and enabling supply with greater economies of scale. “In response to the surging demand, we’ve refocused our efforts to make the synthesis and formulation of organosilane antimicrobials competitive at scale,” said Daria Long, Gelest vice president of consumer care and life sciences. “New efficiencies and the upgraded capabilities put Gelest in a position to supply major users of this long-trusted technology.” The emphasis on scale and economy also prepares the BIOSAFE organosilane antimicrobial product line for widespread application rather than limiting it to a specialty niche chemistry. While aggressive annual growth rates drive the overall market for antimicrobials, the demand for organosilane antimicrobials increased dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. Microbes are problematic in many industries including high-touch healthcare surfaces, textiles for activewear, food packaging, architectural paints and coatings, HVAC systems for indoor environmental quality, and water filtration.  Silicon-based antimicrobials perform differently than traditional antimicrobials. Most antimicrobials are metabolized by cells and then poison the cells from the inside via mutating proteins and DNA. By contrast, BIOSAFE antimicrobial imparts bacteriostatic, fungistatic, and algistatic properties and binds to substrates with silanol reactivity, assembling on surfaces into a layer of densely packed molecules with a strong positive charge. This positive charge and its C18 chains physically rupture the cell wall, causing cell lysis, and nothing is transferred or absorbed. With the rise of multi-drug-resistant microbes, this is a preferred mode of action. Gelest’s BIOSAFE product line is the only organosilane antimicrobial with EPA/FIFRA-registered uses of food contact substrates and an FDA exemption from tolerance.