Thermiculite 866 is a very special sealing material in that it is entirely free of any organic binder material but it is available in sheet form, is very soft, easily cut into gaskets and has excellent sealing characteristics. Thermiculite 866 consists of just Chemically Exfoliated Vermiculite (CEV) and steatite,nothing else is added. Thermiculite 866 has been adopted by a number of fuel cell development teams in Europe and the US.
Thermiculite 866 offers the following advantages :
Freedom from burn off of organic material that could result in the loss of bolt load, permeability and could result in the contamination of catalysts
Freedom from creep even at very high temperature
Freedom from relaxation effects ensuring continued sealing during thermal cycles
Freedom from components that would poison or inhibit the functioning of catalysts
Electrically insulating
Thermal resistance to above 1000ºC
Alignment of the platelets of CEV and steatite during manufacture ensures excellent low load sealing characteristics
Gaskets of complex shapes can be cut easily and are robust during stack assembly
