DuPont™ Hytel® RS for Airbag Systems

DuPont™ Hytrel® RS for Sustainability and High Performance

In response to the automotive industry’s desire to create sustainable products without compromising safety and performance, DuPont has launched the latest technological advancement in renewably-sourced, high performance polymers. Hytrel® thermoplastic elastomers have been used for over 15 years and in millions of vehicles as deployment covers for airbag systems. Hytrel® RS thermoplastic elastomers provide all the high standard performance characteristics of traditional Hytrel®, including excellent elasticity, low temperature flexibility, high flex life over millions of cycles and very high chemical resistance to oils and greases, but with a reduced environmental impact.

Airbag Systems

Hytrel® RS is approved for use in airbag systems, and contains a minimum of 35 percent renewable content by weight. It is a co-polymer based on a thermoplastic ether-ester elastomer (TPC-ET) that has hard segments of polybutylene terephthalate and soft segments that include a polyether made from non-food biomass. Hytrel® RS fully complies with all the technical requirements of airbag manufacturers with regard to paint adhesion, long-term aging performance, ease of processing and low temperature ductility combined with high stiffness.

Hytrel® RS delivers excellent dimensional stability with high abrasion resistance, while reducing costs and minimizing environmental impacts. When compared to a petroleum-based TPC-ET, Hytrel® RS is superior in regards to greenhouse gas emissions and its use of renewable energy.