VESTAMID® Terra

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Under the name VESTAMID^® Terra Evonik markets a group of new polyamides based on renewable raw materials: The monomers are obtained partly or entirely from castor oil, a raw material that is neither foodstuff nor animal feed and whose cultivation does not compete with that of food crops.

Bio-based raw materials are becoming increasingly important, even in technically demanding areas of application. Their great advantage is their more favorable CO₂ balance: When plant ingredients are converted into chemical raw materials and processed further, energy is indeed consumed and carbon dioxide produced, but the amounts are usually significantly lower than when fossil raw materials are used.

VESTAMID^® Terra is offered in a number of versions—PA 610, PA 1010, and PA 1012—with different property profiles, which fill the gaps in the previously accessible property spectrum of the polyamides.

VESTAMID^® Terra DS (PA 1010)

VESTAMID^® Terra DS is the polycondensation product of 1,10-decamethylenediamine (D) and 1,10-decanedicarboxylic acid (sebacic acid, S), both of which are obtained from castor oil. Technically speaking, VESTAMID^® Terra DS occupies a position between high-performance long-chain polyamides such as PA 12 and PA 1212 and the standard polyamides PA 6 and PA 66 of shorter chain length. It is distinguished particularly by the following properties:

• based entirely on natural resources
• high mechanical strength, due to its semi-crystallinity
• excellent UV and chemical resistance
• low water absorption so that the mechanical properties are scarcely affected by changes in atmospheric humidity
• high dimensional stability
• high heat deflection temperature
• transparent; in contrast to other semicrystalline polyamides, therefore, can be processed to give films of good transparency
• processable by injection molding

VESTAMID^® Terra HS (PA 610)

VESTAMID^® Terra HS is produced by polycondensation of 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (H) and 1,10-decanedicarboxylic acid (sebacic acid, S), the sebacic acid being obtained from castor oil. In its property profile VESTAMID^® Terra HS lies between the high-performance polyamide 612 and the standard polyamides PA 6 and PA 66. It is distinguished particularly by the following properties:

• 62 percent based on bio-renewables
• high mechanical strength due to its semicrystallinity
• excellent UV and chemical resistance
• excellent heat deflection temperature
• can be processed by injection molding

VESTAMID^® Terra DD (PA 1012)

Produced from bio-based C10 diamine and fossil dodecanedicarboxylic acid, VESTAMID^® Terra DD is 45 percent based on bio-renewables.

Suitable even for extreme challenges

VESTAMID^® Terra is suitable for application in many areas. PA 610 is resistant to high temperatures and thus especially well suited for parts that must withstand hot conditions, such as the engine covers of cars. PA1010 is extremely rigid and is therefore suitable, as a fiber-reinforced variant, for high-stress housings and similar applications. PA1012 on the other hand is transparent and distinguished by high impact resistance. As an additive in the soles of high-quality sports shoes, it can improve the cushioning of the shoe and increase its resilience.

Further information is also available directly from our experts.