Thomas Swan to distribute carbon nanotube additives in North America

Lyndhurst, New Jersey – Swan Chemical Inc. has signed a distribution agreement with Molecular Rebar Design (MRD) to distribute the company’s carbon nanotube additives in North America.

The US subsidiary of UK-based Thomas Swan will distribute MRD’s Molecular Rebar in Oil (MRO) products, which are intended for use in industrial rubber goods and tire markets, the company announced 13 Aug.

The reinforcing carbon nanotube additives provide rubber with “toughness and performance improvements with no trade-offs in other parameters,” Swan Chemical added.

Based in Austin, Texas, MRD produces surface tailored carbon nanotubes called Molecular Rebar, which are claimed to improve mechanical, electrical, thermal, and transport properties of materials. 

The partnership with Swan Chemical is part of MRD’s effort to grow its existing customer base for rubber products, according to Kurt Swogger, CEO and co-founder of Molecular Rebar Design.

“Thomas Swan & Co… are perfectly suited for a distribution role, especially given our like-minded interest in nanomaterials,” he added. 

The new MRD technology, Swogger said, improves sustainability in applications for wear-resistant rubber parts, seals, gaskets, custom rubber goods, and sacrificial rubber liners.