Crosslink EMPAC™

Dip & Dry Process

Crosslink EMPAC™ is applied to capacitor anodes through a simple Dip & Dry process that only requires 2-5 steps—not the 20-30 steps commonly associated with other technologies. There is no need for in situ chemical polymerization on the capacitor, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.

Crosslink EMPAC™ requires fewer dip steps than PEDOT and causes less yield loss and polymer waste.

Crosslink EMPAC is so effective at providing uniform, core-penetrating coverage that acceptable thickness can be achieved with fewer dips. Since it’s a true film former, Crosslink EMPAC does not block pores, which can sometimes happen with dispersions of other conductive coatings. Crosslink EMPAC also reduces capacitor failures due to leakage because it builds thickness and bonds well to previous layers, such as dielectric oxides  and other conductive polymers.

Therefore, polymer waste is cut by nearly 60% and production times decline dramatically. The resulting efficiency gains and potential economic savings are hard to ignore.

Final Heat Activation Step

Crosslink Energy Materials has developed a proprietary process for increasing the conductivity and integrity of Crosslink EMPAC™ once it is applied to capacitor anodes. At the end of the Dip & Dry process, a short thermal treatment step at 150°C cross-links the polymer chains, raising conductivity from 10-5S/cm to >100 S/cm. This heat activation step also gives Crosslink EMPAC high levels of chemical resistance, further enhancing its compatibility with other chemistries and metals. 

The Dip and Dry process associated with Crosslink EMPAC™ is much shorter than the process required with other coatings.

Additional thermal exposure inherent to the capacitor manufacturing process and in circuit board manufacturing is no problem for Crosslink EMPAC. As a thermoplastic coating, it is not brittle and easily conforms to the thermal expansions of other layers of material in the capacitors. Crosslink EMPAC remains stable above 200°C. In fact, EMPAC’s conductivity increases by 21% after cast films are exposed to 100°C for 100 hours.