Banishing Charges with Elastostat^®

Hearing the crackling of your hair when you take off a pullover made of synthetic fiber can be slightly disconcerting. But in industrial applications electrostatic charging of plastics can even cause damage to components. The addition of TPU pellets eliminates the problem, giving materials longlasting antistatic properties.

This additive is supplied as masterbatch, and is easy to process. The TPU pellets provide significant advantages over comparable solutions currently available: They can be used in a wide variety of plastics to provide permanent antistatic properties. The material also has very good compatibility with standard plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

With Elastostat^®, BASF provides a highly specialized product, but one that is easy to use in both injection molding and extrusion. Additionally, it is color-neutral, so there are no color restrictions. Users can add the pellets without any need for additional compounding.

Tests on Impact and Addition Rates

The antistatic action of the TPU masterbatch – and its compatibility with various plastics with a wide range of addition rates – have been studied in detail by BASF experts.

Tests used a ring electrode as in IEC 60093 – the standard that defines the internationally recognized test method for surface resistivity of solid, electrically insulating materials. The surface resistivity measured depends on the size, shape and arrangement of the test electrodes.

To improve comparability a conversion factor was applied to the test results so that they are based on one particular arrangement. This gives a surface resistivity that is about ten times the measured value.

Tests on the effect of various addition rates of Elastostat^® in specific high-usage plastics – PP and high- and low-density PE for example, have shown that material with excellent antistatic properties is produced by adding just 10 percent of Elastostat^®.

Areas of Application

These specific properties make Elastostat^® particularly valuable in sectors like industrial packaging. When this is produced from polyolefins, antistatic properties are essential for transport of combustible liquids or fine powders.

Addition of this TPU masterbatch in extrusion processes can produce hoses or packaging films that avoid any electrostatic charging of the product conveyed.

Elastostat^® is also used in IBCs (intermediate bulk containers), which are often used for industrial transport.

BASF has a continuous program of collaboration with users on further development of the Elastostat^® product line. But already now the antistatic additive provides a permanent solution that is easy to process and compatible with all standard plastics.