New Grades Target Electric Vehicles

Noryl NHP6011 and NHP6012 glass fiber-reinforced resins are based on a proprietary polyphenylene ether (PPE)-copolymer technology that can allow for lighter, thinner and more crash-resistant components.

In addition to allowing lighter parts, which extends EV range, SABIC says the grades provide robust flame retardancy and impact strength required by industry-related safety standards. Regarding flame retardancy and in response to safety concerns of lithium-ion batteries, SABIC says Europe and Asia now require battery module materials to meet UL 94 V-0. Noryl NHP6011 and NHP6012 resins offer non-chlorinated/non-brominated flame retardancy that meets UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm.

The two grades have different glass fiber loadings to accommodate specific customer requirements for stiffness, with NHP6012 featuring 10% loading and NHP6011 offering 8% loading. In addition to a focus on flame retardancy, miniaturization is an area of interest in the EV battery space. To that end, battery manufacturers are striving to fit more cells in existing or smaller spaces to increase vehicle power and range. SABIC says Noryl’s dimensional stability and flow properties enable thin-wall designs for cell frames, retainers and battery pack top covers. These properties help increase energy density while minimizing weight and space.

SABIC says the materials also provide excellent dielectric performance with a comparative tracking index (CTI) of 2, which helps avoid electrical shorts among tightly packed cells.

Compared to competitive resins for these applications, SABIC says Noryl NHP6011 and NHP6012 provide high resistance to acid, as compared to polycarbonate (PC), and better resistance to moisture compared to polyamide, in addition to a low specific gravity.