hermoplastic elastomer manufacturers rely on quality process oil to achieve the desired softness and flexibility in a wide range of products. The industry also relies on best practices for TPE chemical composition, which Dr. Lewis J. Fetters has spent his long career advancing.
This is why Renkert Oil is pleased to honor Dr. Fetters with the 2020 Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, sponsored by the American Chemical Society’s Rubber Division.
Honoring Outstanding Contributions
The American Chemical Society is the world’s largest scientific community. As a supplier of process oil and other oils necessary for the manufacturing of quality synthetic and natural rubber products as well as TPEs, Renkert Oil is a proud member of the ACS Rubber Division.
Every year, the ACS honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions across many industries. The Rubber Division established the Chemistry of TPE Award in 1991 with an emphasis on innovations that have yielded commercial or patentable materials.
Renkert Oil enjoys every opportunity to support individuals like these, who advance the industries we serve and help our customers be more successful. That’s why we became a sponsor of this award in 2019, honoring Dr. Timothy Long for his research focused on various impacts of biomaterials.
We were proud to sponsor the 2020 award as well. Due to COVID-19 precautions, we had to wait until April 2021 to formally present this award to its deserving recipient, Dr. Lewis J. Fetters (pictured above).
ACS – Rubber Division 2020 Annual Conference, April 28, 2021
Industry Advancements: From Stronger Copolymers to Clearer Process Oil
Dr. Fetters is a pioneer in the field of living anionic polymerization, which has become the dominant means of producing TPEs on a commercial scale. He has transformed the industry Renkert Oil strives to improve through ongoing research and development to improve product performance.
Effects of Star-Block Copolymers on the TPE Industry
As Dr. Jimmy Mays, professor emeritus of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Chemistry, wrote to the nomination committee about Dr. Fetters:
“Lew [Fetters] was perhaps the first to explore the influence of macromolecular architecture on the morphology and mechanical properties of styrenic TPE block copolymers, demonstrating that star-block copolymers, consisting of hard outer blocks and an elastomeric core, exhibit superior properties to their corresponding linear triblock copolymers. These properties include improved tensile strength and greatly reduced permanent set.”
This is far from Dr. Fetters’s only notable achievement. He has discovered new block copolymer morphologies that inspired the design of extended wear contact lenses. Dr. Fetters devised chemical processes that apply star-block copolymers to improve the viscosity of motor oil and the strength and elasticity of asphalt.
His creation of this resilient rubber-like product that can withstand higher temperatures and provide superior tensile strength has enjoyed broad commercial application, accelerated by the joint venture of Dow and Exxon, Dexco Polymers (TSRC Specialty Materials today) which first utilized his research at scale.
TPEs inspired by his work and made possible through industry partnerships have become the standard in applications from nonwoven (diapers) construction to soft-touch automotive interior moldings and countless products in between.
Effects of Quality Process Oil on TPEs
In this same spirit of innovation, Renkert Oil has routinely engaged industry partners to create new, commercially viable products that improve product performance for our customers.
For example, in 2018, we worked with Star Thermoplastic Alloys and Rubbers to prove out our new process oil, Renoil 1500-LV. Chevron ParaLux 6001 has long been the unofficial industry standard TPE process oil. We sought to produce a higher molecular weight, clear oil that would continue to further exceed standards such as automotive fogging requirements.
As we explained in the article we co-published with Star Thermoplastics (published in full in Issue 2, 2018 of TPE Magazine International), the goal is to improve automotive fogging and achieve color stability while maintaining the ideal “soft touch”:
“Automotive companies require TPEs used in auto interiors to be stable within the full range of possible temperatures. Each automaker sets standards for these soft touch TPE products and only a high MW oil can meet the standards.”
Star Thermoplastics prepared standard PP/SEBS (polypropylene/styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene) TPE compound samples using the two oils and also without oil. They reported these results:
“Using the same level of mineral oil extension to SEBS compound, similar physical properties were obtained, but with significantly better fogging results. The higher MW of Renoil 1500-LV naturally reduced volatility and mobility of the process oil in the TPE.”
This is one example of how we honor the work of scientists like Dr. Fetters with a prestigious award. We also honor it in concert with our partners by working to extend the quality and utility of the industry-leading products innovators like Dr. Fetters have worked to perfect.
Quality Process Oil from Renkert Oil
As a leading distributor of process oil to extend the utility of TPEs used in products across dozens of industries, it will be our pleasure to present the 2021 Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award to another impressive contributor to the field.
In addition to honoring others, Renkert Oil will continue to work to both supply our customers with quality process oil that exceeds industry standards and set new standards through innovation.
We invite you to partner with us. To learn more about TPE extender oil, process oil, mineral oils or any other products we supply across the globe, contact us today.