Coating, Polymers, Interfacial Innovations

Posted: April 10, 2006

Degussa, a global market leader in specialty chemicals including cosmetics and personal care materials, has its system in place to enhance innovation transfer opportunities in the automotive industry.

Automotive, transportation and machinery is Degussa’s third-largest final customer market, and the trend reportedly is upward. Eleven of the of the company’s 20 business units work for the automobile sector, which accounts for €1.3 billion of Degussa’s current total sales (2005) of €11.8 billion worldwide. The key areas of the company’s automobile business are the fields of: coatings, designing with polymers, bonding, reinforcement and refinement and interfacial technology.

An Automotive Industry Team (AIT) researches and analyzes current trends and requirements of the auto industry and initiates the dialogue essential for innovation transfer. With the solutions achieved as a result, cars become safer, better-looking, and more environmentally friendly and economical.

Examples of applications in the automotive industry may offer insight into applications for personal care:

A novel silane compound makes polymer molecules and filler particles more effective. Only about 100 grams of this so-called organosilane is needed per tire, reports the company. The result is 20 percent less rolling resistance for truck tires. The new carbon black types are marketed under the tradename Ecorax.”