Polyphthalamide Resins for Use as Automotive Engine Coolant Components

A new polymer, polyphthalamide, has recently been introduced that has higher temperature capabilities and improved solvent resistance over aliphatic polyamides. These property differences make this material a logical candidate for use in automotive coolant systems. The commercial-grade, glass fiber reinforced polyphthalamide products showed a marked improvement in property retention over polyamide-6,6 and polyamide-4,6 products when exposed to antifreeze:water solutions at elevated temperatures. An additional 10% to 15% improvement was achieved in this polyphthalamide resin system through the development of a new product family specifically designed for use in coolant systems.