Mikhail Katsevman, director, Science and Development, of the Polyplastic group
Thermoplastic polymers market in Russia.
Analysis and forecasts

The production and consumption of thermoplastics have been growing in line with Russia’s GNP. However, the amount and share of these materials in the total consumption are still considerably lower than those in developed countries.

Our approach to the product range, quality management and pricing of polymer materials must be further revised. Localization of production facilities by international leaders of the consumer market will either eliminate these drawbacks quickly or reduce Russia’s output.

Vera Myasoedova, professor, chief scientist, Institute of Chemical Physics of the RAS. Wood-polymer and other fibrillar nanocomposites for pressure molding and extrusion applications

Pulp is the most widespread organic polymer on the Earth. Russia possesses 25% of the global reserves of lignocellulose feedstock in the form of forest and annual plants’ wood. Articles made of ecologically pure wood-polymer fibrillar composites are known to have a superior performance.

The report will dwell on how chemical nature, composition and structural features of wood-polymer and other fibrillar composites containing different modifiers affect the material processability using compression and extrusion. Benefits of applying thermoplastic polymer binders based on renewable feedstock in such composites will also be analysed.

Valery Kulichikhin, director of the polymer rheology laboratory of the Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis. Thermoplastics-based nanocomposites: first steps to commercialization.

Nanocomposites based on polymer matrix are being developed by many scientific centers, but their commercialization in the engineering polymers market, with few exceptions, failed despite their functional properties. On the one hand, it damaged reputation of the “nano” prefix, and on the other hand, compelled researchers to investigate why this happens to understand whether the introduction of true nanoparticles yields a nanocomposite.

The report will discuss new ways of introducing nanoparticles of layered silicates and nanodiamonds into a polymeric matrix, which were developed by a group of scientists as part of an ISTC project and attracted the interest of LSP Access International LTD and Milena Trading Ltd.