Technora

Technora is an aramid that is useful for a variety of applications that require high strength or chemical resistance. It is a brand name of the company Teijin Aramid.

Technora was used on January 25, 2004 to suspend the NASA Mars rover Opportunity from its parachute during descent.

It was also later used by NASA as one of the materials, combined with nylon and Kevlar, making up the parachute that was used to perform a braking manoeuvre during atmospheric entry of the Perseverance rover that landed on Mars on February 18, 2021.^[1]

Production

Technora is produced by condensation polymerization of terephthaloyl chloride (TCl) with a mixture of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and 3,4'-diaminodiphenylether (3,4'-ODA).^[2] The polymer is closely related to Teijin Aramids's Twaron or DuPont's Kevlar. Technora is derived from two different diamines, 3,4'-ODA and PPD, whereas Twaron is derived from PPD alone. Because only one amide solvent is used in this very straightforward procedure, spinning can be completed immediately after polymer synthesis.

Physical properties

Technora has a better strength to weight ratio than steel.^[3] Technora also has fire resistant properties which can be beneficial.

Major industrial uses

• Automotive and other industries:
  • Turbo hoses
  • high pressure hoses
  • Timing and V-belts
  • mechanical rubber goods reinforcement
• Linear tension
  • Optical fiber cables (OFC)
  • Ram air parachute suspension lines
  • ropes, wire ropes and cables
  • Umbilical cables
  • Electrical mechanical cable (EMC)
  • Windsurfing sails
  • Hangglider sails
• Drumheads
• Personal protective equipment
• Poi (performance art)

See also

• Vectran

References

1. Strickland, Amanda. "'Dare mighty things': The man behind the secret message in the Mars rover's parachute". cnn.com. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
2. Stephanie Kwolek, Hiroshi Mera, Tadahiko Takata “High-Performance Fibers” in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a13_001
3. Engineering & Tech Overview – NASA Perseverance Mars Rover. 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via YouTube.