Tg Free
Wide Temp Range
Ultra Low Outgassing
Chemically Resistant
High Purity
Thermal Oxidative Stability
Excellent Sealing
High Strength to Weight
PerFluoroAlykl Substance Free
Suitable for Hard Vacuum
High Toughness & Elongation
Can Be Over Moulded
In a collaboration of material science and the pursuit of excellence, Duvelco have developed the Ducoya range of polyimide products. Each variant that forms the Ducoya suite deliver distinction and a balance of physical properties that administer both accommodating and compliant results for demanding applications.
The Ducoya Difference
The conventional approach for manufacturing polyimide polymer resin with a high surface area that can be moulded into different parts and shapes necessitates using a multi-solvent manufacturing process.
After the reaction precipitation stage, the reaction solvent(s) are removed from the precipitated polyimide resin by 'washing' the precipitated resin with an easier-to-extract solvent before the polymer resin is dried and processed before packaging.
This 'washing' stage gives rise to the disposal of cross-contaminated solvent wastes that cannot be re-utilised, significantly increasing overall resin manufacturing costs and not being environmentally friendly.
Duvelco's innovative, patent-pending process makes the exact chemistry of polymer but better. This process employs supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) during the 'washing' stage, which significantly enhances the properties of the Ducoya material.
The result is a remarkable material that boasts better properties than traditional polyimide polymers with the same chemistry.
Benefits of Ducoya
- Unlike a traditional liquid solvent 'washing' process, where the solvent is a liquid and has a surface tension, supercritical CO2 behaves like a liquid and a gas simultaneously, having densities equivalent to that of liquids and diffusion and viscosities exhibited by gases. By exhibiting zero surface tension, supercritical CO2 gives Ducoya a better 'wash' than a liquid solvent.
- A traditional liquid solvent 'washing' process has an output mixture of the reaction solvent(s) and the 'washing' solvent. Duvelco's process eliminates cross-contamination, allowing for near-total re-utilisation of CO2 and reaction solvents(s).
- Our material with graphite encapsulated into the polyimide during the manufacturing steps exhibits better mechanical properties than anything else comparable. Traditionally, graphite within material holds on to reaction solvent(s) and does not release them when 'washed' with a secondary solvent, thus behaving a bit like activated carbon (used to capture Volatile Organic Compounds). Supercritical CO2 is known for its ability to regenerate spent carbon loaded with organics, so not only is it getting a more effective wash, but the reaction solvent(s) that were adsorbed into the graphite during production are being removed much more effectively.
- CO2 used as a solvent is recovered as a by-product from various industrial processes, such as fermentation, cement, and fertiliser manufacturing sites. Eliminating hazardous organic solvents and searching for useful non-hazardous solvents is a prime goal of green chemistry. CO2 as a liquid or supercritical solvent meets many of the characteristics of an ideal green solvent:
| Characteristics of an Ideal Green Solvent | Liquid / Supercritical CO2 |
| Nonflammable | Ja |
| Nontoxic | Ja |
| Non Eco Toxic | Ja |
| Abundant | Ja |
| Renewable | Ja |
| Easy to Prepare | Ja |
| Easy to Remove from a Product | Ja |
| Non-eutrophying | Ja |
| Does Not Contribute to Smog | Ja |
| Does Not Contribute to Global Warming | Process CO2 is recycled with a minimal release |