A few days ago, an American company called Alpine Advanced Materials said that it has added new anti-ultraviolet features to its flagship product HX5 thermoplastic nanocomposite. In the UVA and UVC (ultraviolet A and ultraviolet C) radiation tests, the new material showed excellent resistance to two ultraviolet wavelengths, and its appearance and mechanical properties were not lost.
Alpine said that due to the high frequency and high energy, the interaction of ultraviolet rays with molecules usually leads to material degradation. It is very important to understand the influence mechanism of UVA radiation, because it accounts for 98% of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface of the earth. At the same time, due to UVC's expertise in surface disinfection and sterilization, after COVID-19, UVC will become more and more important.
"UVC radiation has been widely used in the disinfection and sterilization of hospitals, public transportation, offices, and commercial/residential spaces," said Roger Raley, president of Alpine Advanced Materials. "It and the large amount of energy carried by UVA radiation can cause material degradation. Therefore, we must conduct in-depth research on our advanced materials to help partners continuously improve the way they make parts."
HX5 is a lightweight aerospace-grade thermoplastic nanocomposite material designed by Lockheed Martin's Scank plant (Pamdale, California, USA) to replace machined aerospace aluminum alloy with half its weight. It has high specific strength, thermal stability, environmental resistance and manufacturing flexibility. It can be injection molded, molded, extruded or processed like aluminum alloy, enabling component manufacturers to manufacture complex but strong shapes. According to the latest test, it has also been confirmed to have good electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding characteristics, and can maintain up to 96% of the original mechanical performance when exposed to 5 million rad gamma rays.
According to the company, in an independent UVA test according to ASTM G154, HX5 was exposed to UVA for 500, 1000 and 1500 hours, and then HX5 was subjected to a four-point bending test according to ASTM 6272. HX5 shows good tolerance and does not have any adverse effects on appearance or mechanical properties. In an experiment that simulates a 5-minute ultraviolet test every day, HX5 samples were subjected to a four-point bending experiment after "7 years" irradiation, and no performance degradation or impact on the physical or appearance of the material was found.