High Temperature Thermoplastics, also known as High Performance Plastics, are plastics that can be melt processed and are stable at temperatures above 150℃ for prolonged periods of time and short-term temperatures over 250℃. These polymers have excellent thermal capabilities, which makes them highly attractive in the plastics market, with a high growth rate in recent years. Due to this, High Temperature Thermoplastics are on average 10 times more expensive than general-purpose plastics.
High Temperature TPO Thermoplastics are usually obtained by incorporating rigid aromatic rings into their molecular structure instead of aliphatic groups to achieve high temperature resistance. This limits the movement of the main chain and requires the breaking of two chemical bonds (compared with one in an aliphatic structure) for chain scission to occur, resulting in significantly improved mechanical, high temperature, and chemical resistance. When compared to cross-linked thermosetting polymers, High Temperature TPO Thermoplastics typically have better performance properties.
In order to meet specific performance requirements in practical applications, High Temperature Thermoplastics often require blending and modification. The use of special reinforcing materials, such as glass fibers or other filler types, can further enhance heat distortion resistance and stiffness compared to the base polymer.
The addition of agents such as fluorine compounds or graphite particles will significantly improve sliding friction characteristics, while the addition of conductive fillers will provide improved electrical conductivity. The addition of boron nitride and other thermally conductive fillers will provide superior heat transfer, which is important in many high-heat applications.
Currently, the market for High Temperature TPO Thermoplastics, which can be melt processed at high temperatures, comprises a number of polymer families, each consisting of several types of polymers. The plastics industry typically describes these materials' applications with terms such as "high-performance," "engineering polymers," and "standard" or "commodity" plastics.
High Temperature TPO Thermoplastics(like all polymers) consist of two molecular structures: amorphous (randomly organized) and crystalline (highly organized). For practical purposes, thermoplastics are either amorphous polymers or semi-crystalline polymers with amorphous and crystalline regions. One of the main differences between these two types is how they respond to temperature. Both amorphous and crystalline High Temperature TPO Thermoplastics are used in the automotive, aerospace, medical, and electrical/electronic industries where high performance is required.
