elements 29, issue 4 | 2009 - evonik industriesppa into monofilaments geometry and color are...

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elements29

i n t e r F A c i A l t e c H n O l O G i e S

Chemical Umbrella for Buildingsc O A t i n G S

Green Art for a Kick:New Coating Transforms Used Tires into Long-Lasting Artificial Turf

c O A t i n G S 22 Green art for a kick: new coating transforms used tires into long-lasting artificial turf

n e w S 27 “Area of Competence Days” point to perspectives in biotechnology 27 CyPlus® commissions Cold Caro’s Acid systems in Brazil 28 New license agreement for vanadium-doped precious metal powder catalysts28 High-pressure for VESTAMID® PA 12

D e S i G n i n G w i t H P O lY M e r S 30 PLEXIGLAS®: innovative light management with high-precision microstructures

n e w S 35 Ruhr2030Award for ccflex® 36 e v e n t S A n D c r e D i t S

elements29 | 2009 n e w S 4 Supply partnership for novel battery materials 4 Polyphthalamide is used for the first time to manufacture filaments 5 International environmental award for Evonik and Daimler

i n n O v A t i O n M A n A G e M e n t 6 Technology foresight: in search of the needle in the haystack

i n t e r FAc i A l t e c H n O lO G i e S 10 Chemical umbrella for buildings

e vO n i k F O u n DAt i O n 15 A radar screen for good people

c AtA lY S i S 18 CENTOPRIME®: highly selective hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines

contents

the cover photo shows artificial turf—because it not only entertains soccer fans but keeps researchers in evonik’s Functional Films & Surfaces Project House on their toes

Would you hang wallpaper in the bathroom? Paper that could curl up on you and become water-logged when you take a shower, not to mention make an ideal spawning ground for mildew? These problems are a thing of the past, as Evonik has proven with its new ccflex® ceramic wall covering. ccflex® can be handled as easy as wallpaper, is as water-repellent and durable as a tile, and com pared to tiles, takes one-tenth the energy to produce. The Initiativkreis Ruhr, an association for promoting commerce in the Ruhr Valley, billed ccflex® “an outstanding innovation,” and has now honored it with the Ruhr2030Award, which carries prize money of €50,000. And now for a different topic, but from the jury‘s perspective, one just as innovative: our co oper -ation with Daimler AG in the research, development, and production of lithium-ion batteries in Germany. The two companies are now distinguished winners of the ÖkoGlobe, the first internation al environmental award for the automobile industry and its suppliers. This award, which we have received in the Innovative Energy Source category, also has its roots in our research—in the separ a tor Evonik developed that makes batteries exceptionally efficient and safe. Our researchers and engineers can chalk up yet another success for themselves. They have devel -oped a process to be used in a new plant we just commissioned to produce 2-PH (2-propyl heptanol), a starting material for the manufacture of PVC plasticizers. With this new plant, we are fostering the trend toward high-molecular-weight plasticizers, which pose no risk to human health, according to a rigorous EU risk assessment. This has been well-received on the market: The plant is complete-ly booked from the start. These three encouraging signs convince us that we can’t afford to shortchange research and development, even in times of crisis. The economy also looks less gloomy these days. The situation is beginning to stabilize, if at a low level, and we are now standing on solid ground at the bottom of the valley. Next begins the long, slow ascent back up. And we have our first signals of confidence for the climb—the number of our employees in short-time work has dropped from its high of 3,700 to less than half that number. Another encouraging sign!

Encouraging Signs

Patrik Wohlhauserchairman of the Board of Management of evonik Degussa GmbH

2 elements29 evonik science newsletter

e D i t O r i A l

3elements29 evonik science newsletter

news

+++ New Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Degussa GmbH

the Supervisory Board of evonik Degussa GmbH has appointed thomas wessel (46), chairman of the Board of Management of rAG Bildung GmbH, to the Board of Management of evonik Degussa GmbH as chief Human resources Officer effective november 1, 2009. He succeeded ralf Blauth (58) who held this position at evonik Degussa GmbH in addition to his role as a mem-ber of the executive Board and chief Human resources Of ficer of evonik industries AG. As planned, ralf Blauth relinquished his post on the Board of Management of Degussa evonik GmbH on October 31, 2009, before the end of his origi-

+++ Plant for production of the plasticizer alcohol 2-PH commissioned

Two hundred fifty metric tons of steel, 260 instruments and machines, and 1,500 pipelines with a total length of twelve kilometers: Evonik‘s new 2-PH plant

nal term of office. He was appointed to the executive Board of evonik industries AG as chief Human resources Officer with effect from July 1, 2009. thomas wessel, who became chairman of the Board of Management of rAG Bildung GmbH in September 2006, will hold his current position, in addition to his new post, until the end of 2009. under his leadership, this company has been reorganized to make it more competitive. wessel previously held a number of posts at the former rAG Aktiengesellschaft, including latterly Head of the Human resources Division.

High-molecular-weight plasticizers are also among the most stu-died chemical substances and have been declared risk-free in tests conducted by the european union. this is why more and more Pvc processors prefer to use high-molecular-weight plasticizers, which show above-average growth. evonik currently produces annually 340,000 metric tons of the c9 plasticizer alcohol isononanol (inA) at its Marl plant, which is the largest inA plant in the world. inA and 2-PH com-plement each other very well, as the plasticizers made from them can be used to vary the properties of plasticized Pvc over a wider range. with the new plant, evonik is also optimizing its production network for c4 chemistry, an area in which the company has many years of experience. the Marl production network, which is unique in the world, converts crude c4, a by-product of the naphtha cracking process, to high-quality products such as buta-diene, MtBe, isobutene, butene-1 and isononanol. nearly all pro-cesses were developed by the c4 chemistry Business line and make best possible use of raw materials and energy within an integrated network. evonik processes a total of approximately 1.5 million metric tons of crude c4 per year in its c4 chemistry Business line, and is therefore the most important processor in this field in europe.

evonik industries has expanded its product range for high-molecular-weight plasticizer alcohols and commissioned a plant for the production of the plasticizer alcohol 2-propyl heptanol (2-PH) at the Marl chemical Park. the company’s invest-ment in the plant, which is in the high double-di-git million euro range, makes it the largest produ-cer of c9/c10 alcohols in europe. the plant has an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons, and has brought twelve new jobs to Marl. “with this new product, we are actively promoting the market trend toward high-molecular-weight plasticizers and offering our customers attractive and com-petitive solutions for plastics production,“ said Dr. thomas Haeberle, member of the Management Board of evonik Degussa GmbH at the opening ceremony. 2-PH is used as a raw material for the production of a Pvc plasticizer, which transforms Pvc, a naturally brittle plastic, into a flexible material. Plasticized Pvc based on 2-PH is used for appli-cations such as cable insulation, tarpaulin fabrics, elastic floor cov-erings, and in various automobile parts. the market for plasticized Pvc has a volume of approximate-ly twelve million metric tons per year. the demand for plasticizers amounts to several million metric tons per year. in the past, both have grown roughly 4 percent annually, with the highest demand coming from Asia. the economic crisis has been hard on the market for plasticized Pvc, but “like our customers, we are expecting fu-ture growth of worldwide 3 to 4 percent per year, because Pvc is one of the most versatile and, at the same time, cost efficient plastics,” explained Haeberle. “Another indicator is the fact that our new plant is completely booked from the start.” Following increasing technical and environmental require-ments for plasticized Pvc applications, the “high-molecular-weight” plasticizers, which are based on c9 or c10 alcohols such as 2-PH with its ten carbon atoms, are in particularly high demand. these plasticizers are remarkable for their excellent low-temper-ature properties and low volatility, and are extremely versatile.


+++ Supply partnership for novel battery materials

Süd-chemie AG, Munich (Germay) and evonik industries have agreed to enter into a supply partnership aimed at using novel mat erials in the next generation of lithium-ion batteries for auto-mobiles and other industrial applications. By entering into this agreement, both enterprises have laid the foundation for the pre-ferred delivery by Süd-chemie to evonik of the high performance

energy storage material lithium iron phosphate (liFePO4, also referred to as lFP), to be used in rechargeable lithium-ion batte-ries. the use of lithium iron phosphate in lithium-ion batteries will significantly improve the conditions for a swift and wide-scale introduction of more powerful electric drives for the next genera-tion of hybrid and electric-drive vehicles. Süd-chemie will be responsible for manufacturing the high-grade lithium iron phosphate in line with the required specifica-tions, and for technical customer service. with the aid of the cathode material lithium iron phosphate, evonik intends to develop to market maturity high-powered cell components for both mobile and stationary applications via its subsidiary evonik litarion GmbH, focusing initially on the european market. the main features of lithium iron phosphate which make it espe cially suitable for use in lithium-ion batteries are its high energy density, its high cycle stability, long life and above all, the intrinsic safety of the material. under the litAriOn® brand, evonik litarion GmbH produces electrodes that make a significant contribution to enhancing the performance of lithium-ion batteries. evonik has also developed a novel ceramic separator named SePAriOn® to significantly boost both the efficiency and safety of large-scale lithium-ion cells. li-tec – a joint venture operated by evonik industries (50.1%) and Daimler AG (49.9%) – makes use of the key chemical cell com-ponents supplied by evonik litarion to produce large-scale lithi-um-ion battery cells for automotive and industrial applications at the partners´ joint production site in kamenz, Saxony (Germany).

+++ Polyphthalamide is used for the first time to manufacture filaments

Polyphthalamide (PPA) is always used whenever metal has to be substituted with a different material, or when other plastics such as PA 6 and PA 66 can no longer do the job. evonik industries has found a new application for the high-performance polymer: evonik’s veStAMiD® Htplus F1001 is the first polyphthalamide that can be drawn into filaments. the material can be easily pro-cessed into different varieties of filaments, and modifications in

Since the melting point of veStAMiD® Htplus F1001 is above 320°c, the filaments are suitable for use at elevated tempera-tures. the monofilaments show a stress at break of over 300 MPa and a strain at break of over 150 percent, so they are almost pre-destined for manufacture into special bristles for tough applica-tions. Other applications are mono- and multifilaments for filters, as reinforcements, or as fabrics.

Electrodes production at Evonik Litarion GmbH in Kamenz (Germany)

For the first time, Evonik has extruded PPA into monofilaments

geometry and color are possible, too. users like polyphthalamide because of its outstand-ing performance at high temperatures and its excel-lent mechanical properties. Parts made of veStAMiD® Htplus F1001 are highly dimensionally stable and wear-resistant. Because of its crystallinity, the materi-al is incredibly resistant to chemicals, so it can be used in aggressive media and demanding environments. until recently, polyphthalamide was not used to make filaments. evonik, however, has now filled in this gap. with its veStAMiD® Htplus F1001, the company succeeded in extruding PPA into monofila-ments, which were then made into special brushes. customers have found preliminary tests for heat resistance and mechanical properties to be very prom ising.


news

+++ International environmental award for Evonik and Daimler

evonik and Daimler’s strategic partnership in electric power trains has chalked up yet another success: the companies are co-recipi-ents of the ÖkoGlobe, the first international environmental award for the automobile industry and its suppliers, for their collabora-tion on lithium-ion battery technology. the partnership between evonik industries and Daimler, which was established about ten months ago, made it to first place in the category innovative Power Systems. their alliance has allowed both of these German companies to promote e-mobility along the entire value-added chain in Germany. Advanced, safe, and affordable lithium-ion batteries are con-sidered a key technology for making environmentally friendly electronic cars suitable for everyday use. combined since Decem-ber 2008, the competencies of evonik and Daimler in this field impressed ÖkoGlobe’s jury. the jury comprises Prof. Fer dinand Dudenhöffer, who is the chairman and an automotive industry expert, and HA Schult, who is an environmental artist, as well as Matthias Machnig, State Secretary of the Federal en-vironment Ministry; Prof. claudia kemfert, an energy and sustainability scientist; Prof. Bruno O. Braun, pres-i dent of the As so ciation of German engineers (vDi); and engelbert Fassbender, member of the Devk in-surance company’s management board. the name “ÖkoGlobe” comes from the institute of the same name, which is headed by Prof. Dudenhöffer at the university of Duisburg-essen. ralf Blauth, member of evonik industries executive Board, regards the receipt of the internati-onal environmental award as an incentive to further consolidate the expertise of evonik and Daimler in the companies li-tec Battery GmbH and Deutsche Ac cu-motive GmbH. “Advanced batteries are the key to the success of e-vehicles. everyone is trying his hand at this right now,“ said Blauth. “we don’t consider the ÖkoGlobe a laurel to rest on. the award shows us that we and our Made-in-Germany exper tise are top per-formers on the international stage. that makes us proud and hugely pleased. But the ÖkoGlobe also en-courages us not to let up in the race for top solutions for the car of the future. As a location for industry, Ger many has scored—with team-oriented, highly trained, and motivated employees.” evonik and Daimler forged their strategic alliance to develop and manufacture lithium-ion batteries in December 2008. A key player in the partnership is bat tery specialist li-tec Battery GmbH in kamenz, near the city of Dresden. evonik holds a 50.1 percent stake in li-tec Battery, Daimler 49.9 percent. Based on evonik’s lithium-ion technology, and with Daimler’s know-how, the two global giants advance the re-search, development, and manufacture of battery cells and systems in Germany. the worldwide leading lithium-ion battery flat-cell from li-tec has a lot to offer. with its ceramic sepa -

r ator, the battery boasts outstanding safety and high energy densi-ty in a compact size. According to predictions, the market volume for high-performance lithium-ion batteries will cross the €10 bil-lion mark in the next decade, with that of battery materials exceed-ing €4 billion. the German federal government plans to fill city streets with at least one million e-cars by 2020. in July 2009, evonik and Daimler announced the next stage in their strategic partnership for the electrification of the passenger car. in the future, Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & co. kG, like-wise jointly owned by Daimler (90%) and evonik (10%), will produce battery systems based on lithium-ion technology in ka-menz. construction of the new production facilities is scheduled to begin this year. the first lithium-ion battery systems will then be installed in vehicles produced by Mercedes-Benz cars as early as 2012. with the manufacture of lithium-ion battery systems in kamenz, Deutsche Accumotive will begin industrializing the key technology for the electrification of the automobile.

The heart of the large-format lithium-ion battery cells produced by Li-Tec is SEPARION®: a new type of ceramic separator from Evonik that separates the anode and cathode

At the ÖkoGlobe award ceremony: Ralf Blauth, member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG (left), and Prof. Herbert Kohler, head of E-Drive & Future Mobility at Daimler AG

to survive in the markets of the “day after tomorrow,” a company must spot real innovation potential—and search for it in particular off the beaten path. to this end, evonik’s technology Foresight team is deploying a network of experts to identify ideas and research findings of long-term importance to the company.

in Search of the Needle in the Haystack

t e c H n O l O G Y F O r e S i G H t


DR. FRIEDRICH GEORG SCHMIDT

The future is when you regret not doing what you could have done.” This saying reflects the conflict that technology-based companies face. While they must

get the maximum potential out of available tech-nologies and processes to satisfy the current needs of their customers, they often risk being too late to identify newly emerging trends that are impor-tant for their future market position. The history of innovation proves that start-up companies or niche players, more than any others, develop „disruptive” technologies whose poten-tial is either recognized not at all or only late by the large, established companies. Sometimes too late.

Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, for example, have shaken the price structure of short-haul flights to its foundation and have instilled fear in the established carriers. Here’s a second example. In the early 1980s, IT giant IBM completely under-estimated the importance of the PC and suffered one of the most financially difficult phases in its corporate history. A third example: The big steel producers failed to recognize the potential of small steel mills—“mini-mills“—which initially pro duced only simple construction steels from iron and steel scrap, but then increasingly manufactured high-quality steel for other applications and markedly re duced the market share of established companies.

t

in Search of the Needle in the Haystack


Timing is everything

This is why it’s important—indeed, a matter of sur-vival over the long term—to recognize the poten-tial of new markets and technologies as early as possible. In the 21st century, this task will prove all the more difficult, because you have to do more than identify highly promising developments. You also have to select and advance them at the right time. In 1995, Jackie Fenn, consultant with U.S. tech-nology consulting firm Gartner, developed the idea of the „hype cycle,” which illustrates this prob lem well. The hype cycle describes the phases of pub-lic attention that a new technology goes through when it’s launched. The first phase is the “technol-ogy trigger,” which generates significant interest only among specialists. In the next phase, im-proved and faster global sources of information jostle with one another to spread word of the new technology, often generating unrealistic expecta-tions. Media reporting on the technology then be-gins to wane as it fails to fulfill the initial inflated expectations. This is followed, however, by a deeper understanding of the practical application of the technology, as well as its limitations. Only when its benefits are widely demonstrated and ac-cepted does the technology then reach its “plateau of productivity.” The height of this plateau largely depends on whether the technology plays a role in mass or niche markets. If a technology company doesn’t enter this kind of market before the plateau phase, it could spell extremely high costs or loss of market share. On the other hand, if the company invests in a technol-ogy prematurely, as it is first emerging, the com-pany had better have a lot of stamina and factor the risk of failure. No one can say for sure what will ultimately succeed on the market—and when. Even so, studies show that long before a tech-nology has reached market maturity, the number of scientific publications and patents peaks slight-ly. This is identified, however, only in retrospect. To put it another way, only in hindsight can we judge which of the many pre-peaks in the “back-ground noise” of new developments actually point-ed to a successful technology. This is why spot-ting disruptive technologies is like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

i n n O v A t i O n M A n A G e M e n t

The art to the innovation process lies in identifying the potential for new markets and technologies as early as possible and selectively advancing highly promising developments at the right time

Signal intensity

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Long before a technology has reached market maturity, the number of scientific publications and patents peaks slightly. This can be identified and interpreted, however, only in retrospect

Patent applications Scientific literature Number

Time (years)


The Next Big Thing is still not a practical strategy

But a company with technology foresight should not move at the level of the so-called Next Big Thing. It’s an open secret that globalization, cli-mate change, and demographic developments will have an impact on a number of markets, but this realization alone cannot point to any specific strat-egies. To be sure, extrapolating and retropolating existing scenarios, on the other hand, is important for short-term technology developments, but it provides little help in developing a long-term ap-proach. The best opportunities for increasing a com-pany‘s ability to innovate are at the very beginning of a new development. Indeed, scientific studies have shown that investment in advance develop-ment through shorter development times pays off and that the way in which an advance develop-ment is pursued is a decisive factor in its success. On average, companies have spent twice as much on advance development in successful projects than in unsuccessful projects. So when it comes to innovation management, only he who sows will reap. But he who sows earlier can reap more. One phase of the innovation process is the “fuzzy front end,“ which is generally the stage in which future technologies are identified. Evonik has been working this fuzzy front end since late 2008 with its Technology Foresight Team, an in-ternal network of experts from all the business units, main service units, and Innovation Ma nage-ment Chemicals & Creavis. The network is the log ical continuation of earlier foresight activities of the Group and its predecessor companies. The main focus of this col laboration is the realization that while normal management processes identify and implement technological developments that lead to new businesses vital to the company’s future, the signs pointing to completely new in-novation potential are rather difficult to read.

Evonik’s Technology Foresight Team

Dr. Masayuki Arai, innovation Management chemicals JapanDr. wolfgang Benesch, evonik energy ServicesDr. klaus Dorn, Performance Polymers Business unitDr. Jing Feng, innovation Management chemicals chinaDr. Stefan Buchholz, industrial chemicals Business unitDr. Doris Holland, iPM innovationsagentur Dr. norbert kern, creavis technologies & innovationDr. Friedrich Georg Schmidt, coatings & Additives Business unitDr. Peter Schwab, consumer Specialties Business unitDr. Manfred Stickler, innovation Management chemicals & creavisDr. christoph tontrup, inorganic Materials Business unitDr. christoph weckbecker, Health & nutrition Business unit and associated partners.the technology Foresight team views itself as a network within the Group and began its work in September 2008.

The value of genuine innovations compared to incremental improvements can be seen most clearly in the income-to-expenses ratio—but more often in the medium term than the short term!

Creating new offerings/markets/industries Incremental innovations to existing offerings

Current market

New market

Other firm’s market

Internal innovation projects

External innovation project

Technology acquisition

Technology in-licensing Venture

investment

Technology licensing

Spin-off Firm boundary

Front end of innovation Idea realization and development Commercialization

External innovation project

TechnologTTacqu

Technology TTin-licensingVenture

investment

TechScout Search Field

Open innovation: To have the best possible chance of success, companies must experiment and react flexibly to changed conditions. Expanding the business model and integrating sources of external know-how, for example, creates an opportunity for successful innovation in new business fields

Source: Harvard Business Review, October 2004

R&D-effort Revenue Margine

38

61

14

86

62

39

Source: Herzog (2008)

i n n O v A t i O n M A n A G e M e n t


Open innovation is the key to success

For this long-term innovation strategy to succeed, Evonik must also be more open to third parties in its innovation process. Collaboration with aca-demic partners, which is already happening in many areas of interest, is just the first step. Ex-ternal innovation projects, in-licensing or sale of technol ogies (for example, through start-ups) can be fur ther steps. For this reason, technology scouts from the individual units concerned with innovation should have these wide-ranging op-tions on their radar screens if they are genuinely on the lookout for attractive new methods and ideas. Technology foresight calls for a long-term perspective. It’s not about technologies that can be developed rapidly. Moreover, real innovation doesn’t travel familiar roads but often occurs as a disruptive development—with proportionately greater consequences for the companies in that market. And although this is about long-term strategies, the individual steps of the innovation process must be designed for the short-term, be-cause in the end, as the saying goes, „the future will be here before we know it.“ l

Communication is pivotal in the matter

As an everyday affair, technology foresight is a communication task—both within the Group and with organizations outside the Group. Only when information flows freely among participants can the foundation be laid for future developments. In this regard, openness to new ideas and technol-ogies outside one’s own core business is vital. The paths of innovation are not linear, as we know this from the example of the security checkpoints for people at airports. The metal detectors used there are based on a sawing machine develop-ment in the lumber industry. As part of the innovation process, individual, perhaps abstruse-seeming ideas must be measured against market realities time and again with the help of experts inside and outside the network, and increasingly, highly specialized colleagues. Ultimately, then, technology foresight is broken down into short-term processes without losing its long-term perspective. On the other hand, it’s not enough to focus only on what the customer wants or to shelve an idea only because it lies outside current business activities. On the contrary, markets, needs, and so-ciety change, and no one now can say with cer-tainty what opportunities will open up in five, ten or twenty years. The Internet is a vivid example of this. Until well into the 1990s, it was a technol-ogy for a select few specialists. Today, it plays a vital role in the commercial success of several com panies. In the process of selecting highly promising in-novations, network participants will also inevi-tably produce “false negatives,” or misjudge the potential of ideas. This is why the Technology Fore sight Team also sees the need to continue monitoring the ideas and research findings gleaned from the innovation process, so it can present them to experts from the business units again at a later date, if needed. Viewing a new technology with a long-term perspective is essential to inno-vative capability. And as experience shows, the disruptive technologies tend to be found among the false negatives.

DR. FRIEDRICH GEORG SCHMIDTBorn in 1956Schmidt has been head of innovation Management, new technologies, in evonik’s coatings & Additives Business unit since 2008. He studied chemistry at the universities of Göttingen and Freiburg. After obtaining his doctorate and an assistantship at the university of karlsruhe, he began his career in 1985 in the central research department of the former Hüls AG in Marl. He moved to the engineering Plastics Business unit in 1986, where he was in charge of such products as veStOrAn® and

veStOBlenD®, and also directed the pilot plant for polymer blends. in 1996 he was a member of the Screening committee at Hüls, which evaluated research topics for new business options. Beginning in 1997, he was a member of the management team at the then newly established creavis unit, where he headed a variety of projects until 2002, when he took charge of product development in the former coatings & colorants Business unit.+49 2365 49-4272, [email protected]

each year, moisture in buildings is responsible for billions of euros in commercial losses. Much of this damage can be avoided, how-ever, because interfacial chemistry has a recipe to protect buildings from penetrating moisture. experts from evonik’s consumer Specialties Business unit have developed additives for drymix materials that make buildings water-repellent from day one.

chemical Umbrella for Buildings


FRANK KÖNIG, DR. RALPH SCHEUERMANN

Prevention instead of repair

In general, protecting existing buildings at a later stage is complicated and expensive. Cologne Ca-thedral and the well-known Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona are two outstanding examples of how long and difficult the fight against the destructive power of water is. Here, experts are try ing to impregnate the natural stone with water-repellent and sorption-inhibiting coatings based on silicon. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so goes the saying, but the same is true for buildings and facades, too. In the past ten years, preventive measures against moisture have be-come increasingly relevant. Modern buildings are often planned with moisture protection in mind, since the selection of building materials can keep moisture damage to a minimum.

Hydrophobizing building materials is not a recent invention. The ancient Egyptians treated their papyrus boats with salt so-lutions, and Alexander the Great had

wooden bridge piers dipped in olive oil before they were erected. Then and now, the objective was the same: protect the material proactively against the incursion of moisture. The purpose of this „chemical umbrella“ is to prevent or at least greatly delay moisture damage to the building. Today, moisture in facades, masonry, bridges, and other architecture is considered as one of the most important factors contributing to building damage. Virtually no material is immune to the de-structive power of moisture penetration. Wheth er masonry or cement, concrete, thermal insula tions or natural stone, whether brick or compo site structures—water destroys the inner cohesion of the material. As a result, precious monuments crumble, bridges lose their bearing capacity, and masonry becomes unstable. Each year, moisture in buildings is responsible for billions of euros in commercial losses. The effects of water in the material vary. Mois-ture settles into the pores, freezes in the colder months, and blows open microcracks in the stone. Water promotes the growth of certain fungi and other microorganisms that cover facades with fouling and attack the stability of the structures with their mycelium. Moisture washes out certain salts that then effloresce on the surface. Water also carries contaminants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the outside air into the masonry and promotes the formation of corrosive acids. Not least, moisture reduces the insulating effect of walls, thereby increasing the energy consumption of buildings.

H



Integrating water-repellence in the construction of new buildings can save billions of euros, thus preventing damage from moisture. This way, the time for the first renovation measures can be moved up significantly

Moisture on buildings can result in microcracks through frost-thaw cycles (above), the efflorescence of mineral salts (middle), as well as reduced thermal insulation, or growth of microorganisms (below)

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Rising damp

Ways in which buildings can take up water

Driving rainCondensation in capillaryCondensation above dew-point

Hygroscopic water retention

OsmosisTechnical faults

Infiltration of leak water


Above all, drymix products can meet the sharp increase in quality standards. Today’s materials must be “formula-proof,” so that expectations for the longevity of objects and warranty protection can be fulfilled. Ready-made formulations pay off over the long haul: They reduce renovation costs, because the integrated water repellence works far longer than surface coatings. Today’s mortars are complex products. Manu-facturers mix anhydrous formulations that con-tain 15 to 20 individual components. In addition to fillers and pigments, these mainly include additives that simplify workability, improve mechanical strength, shorten drying time, or control the air pore content as the prevention of tiny air holes.

High standards for water-proofing agents

Waterproofing agents play an increasingly im-portant role in these complex formulations. The advantages are clear: If these water-repelling ad-ditives are added to the dry mortar during for mul-ation, the material and, later, the structural ele-ment receive a kind of “inner” compact and ho-mogeneous protection. High demands are placed on the waterproofing agent, however. Capillary water uptake must be ruled out or at least greatly reduced—and permanently. If this is not the case, the first rehabilitation measures for a building can become necessary after only a few years. Drymix mixtures with water-repellent prop-erties have been fixtures on the market for sever-al years. But products that contain the impreg-nating additives based on stearates or oleates show limit ed water repellency and work only tem- porarily.

A key advantage of drymix products: After they are mixed

with water, they can be worked easily as flowing screed or with the trowel

Higher quality through finished products

Thanks to the growing importance of drymix tech-nology, this trend is gaining significant momen-tum. The selection of dry ready-mixed products has grown enormously in the past few years, be-cause of the many key advantages of these formu-lations. They are easy to process and have long storage times. The properties of the finished build-ing material are consistent and reliable, and easy processing at the construction site saves time and, therefore, costs.



Siloxanes: sustainable protection through covalent binding

Experts from Evonik’s Consumer Specialties Busi-ness Unit, on the other hand, have developed powdered impregnating materials based on or-gano modified siloxanes that can give the structural component optimal water-repellence over the long term. Organomodified siloxanes are chemi-cal com pounds that also contain, in addition to di-methylsiloxy units [Me2SiO-], different organic endgroups. On the one hand, the silicon-oxygen back bone of these compounds gives them a high affin ity for the mineral construction material, and on the other hand, their organic endgroups im-part a strong water repellency. As compounds, they are relatively inert chemically, and there -fore offer ideal protection for the building over de cades. Because the siloxane-based materials them-selves are liquid, they are mixed into drymix for-mulations and applied to porous, primarily inor-ganic substrates. The end result is a fine, white powder that is easy to dispense and work. Behind their modest appearance lie true specialties opti-mally tailored to your area of application. Marketed under the brandname SITREN® this product family has proven its outstanding proper-ties in countless studies. They preserve the natural water vapor permeability of the structural com-ponent, because it does not change the open pore structure of the material. They also leave the structure and color of the material unaffected—an extremely important factor for today‘s architec-ture. They allow surface treatment, such as paint-ing with conventional dispersion paints. They

show an excellent beading effect and the desired high stability, even in a strongly alkaline medium, because cementitious systems often have a high pH value. But above all, they provide structural compo-nents with long-term protection against moisture and the damage it can cause. The reason is that, unlike conventional metal soaps, SITREN® addi-tives form permanent bonds with basic compo-nents of the mortar. This means they cannot be washed out later on. Test blocks containing a 0.25 percent dose of SITREN® additive were poured to verify long-term protection. For comparison purposes, the exact same blocks were produced from drymix mortar with conventional water-repellent metal soaps. The samples were pre-conditioned for sev-eral days in a humid environment, and then dried in an oven. For the actual test, the blocks were set on a water-saturated PU sponge, and the quantity of absorbed water was measured at defined time intervals (10 minutes to 72 hours). A sample with-out water repellency was used as the control. The water-absorption tests were repeated in four cy cles. Between cycles, each of the mortar blocks was dried in an oven at 80°C. In the tests, the samples impregnated with metal soaps showed an acceptable water-repel-lent effect. After the fourth cycle, however, the impregnation had more or less disappeared, be-cause it had been washed out with the water. On the other hand, the samples hydrophobized with SITREN® not only showed more effective im-pregnation at the very beginning but remained water-repellent throughout all cycles. SITREN® ad ditives, therefore, ensure reliable and

The powdered impregnating materials of Evonik are based on organomodified siloxanes (left)

Comparison between a brick water-proofed with SITREN® (background) and an untreated brick (foreground). In the untreated brick, moisture has caused mineral salts to float and effloresce on the surface

>>>


FRANK KÖNIGBorn in 1965Frank könig heads the innovation Management industrial Formu la tors unit in evonik’s industrial Specialties Business line. He started his career at evonik Goldschmidt GmbH in essen in 1981, holding several posi-tions in various r&D units, tech -ni cal Services, and in Sales & Mar-keting before assuming his current responsibilities.

+49 201 173-2988, [email protected]

DR. RALPH SCHEUERMANNBorn in 1972ralph Scheuermann has been respon sible for development in the industrial Formulators and Functional Materials segments since 2008. He studied chemis try at the technical university of clausthal. After graduation, he began his career in 2003 as an r&D employee in the consumer Specialties Business unit.

+49 201 173-2195, [email protected]

With SITREN®, hydro-phobized construction

materials show very good beading effect

without impairing the natural water vapor

permeability

long-term protection against damage caused by moisture penetration. The development of innovative hydrophobiz-ing agents serves current developments in the construction market: drymix products based on formulas that allow long-term and high-quality construction are quite common today, and will be used even more widely in the future. Worldwide, about 85 million metric tons of drymix construc-tion materials were sold in 2006. Experts predict that the market will more than double to 180 mil-lion metric tons by 2011. Particularly strong growth is expected in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. Growth is driven by the constantly rising de-mands for materials. The primary catalysts are grow ing productivity along the entire value-added chain in the construction industry, and the increas-ing importance of design and aesthetic aspects. Moreover, the demand for sustainable construc-tion requires high longevity for buildings, innova-tive materials, and optimal energy efficiency. These, in turn, prevent costly rehabilitation or com promises in quality from the outset. l

Comparison of the water uptake of drymix blocks that have been hydrophobized with SITREN® and with metal soaps. While water uptake significantly increases after the fourth cycle with metal soaps, it remains at the same low level throughout all cycles with SITREN®

Control Metal soaps 1st cycle 4th cycle SITREN® P 750 1st cycle 4th cycle

Water up-take (mg/cm2)

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

010 min 20 min 30 min 60 min 4 h 6 h 24 h 48 h 72 h

Drymix products con-taining organomodified

siloxanes-based addi-tive developed by

Evonik offer very good long-term protection

against moisture. Even conventional dispersion

paints can be easily applied. Now nothing

stands in the way of a colorful cityscape

e v O n i k F O u n D A t i O n


A radar Screen for Good People

Melanie Thoß is a true child of the Ruhr Valley. Born into a mining fam-ily in Bochum, raised in Watten-scheid, she initially attended middle

school (Realschule), then passed her qualifying exam for university entrance (Abitur) with the goal of studying medicine. The numerus clausus pre vented a direct path to her goal, so she chose biology instead, which meant she had to take chem istry. “I really liked it. It‘s so logical and, at the same time, aesthetic.“ She was certain now: she would stay in biology but write her thesis on a chemistry topic. That was three years ago. And because she fin ished her thesis with the perfect grade of 1.0, it is no surprise that she is now working on her doc-torate, and should be finished in July 2010. The subject of her dissertation is “Synthesis of Fol da-mers from Chiral Binaphthyl Amino Acids.” Foldamers are folded molecules that imitate the tertiary structure of proteins in their size and structural complexity but are made up exclusively of synthetic components. The basic idea is to po-tentially recreate enzymes that carry out certain

reactions faster than natural enzymes. “But we’re talking about basic research. Specific applications are not the main focus.” Her work is scheduled for three years. To con-centrate on it completely—aside from some work for the institute, such as advising Diplom candi-dates—she looked around for scholarships and ap-plied to Evonik Foundation (at that time Degussa Foundation). The jury found everything—her abil-ities, achievements, study plan—to its liking. And so Thoß received the Werner Schwarze Schol ar-ship, which is fitting, since the long-time Degussa researcher Werner Schwarze (1913-2007) is the father of methionine, an essential amino acid vital to modern animal nutrition. Now Thoß can con-centrate entirely on her degree, thanks to the sti-pend of €1,050 a month, which she thinks is “very good” and absolutely sufficient. Thoß is one of a total of 24 scholarship recip-ients who have been supported by Evonik Foun-dation. The foundation has been active under this name and with its new logo since the beginning of the year. Its goal is to promote young talent who are unable to finance their intended scien-

new name, new logo, new program: the evonik Foundation promotes select young talent and awards annual scholarships, especially for scientific research.

M

The foundation’s team: Susanne Peitzmann

(advisor, left), Prof. Wolfgang Leuchtenberger

(scientific consultant) and Managing Director

Erika Sticht

>>>


tific education from their own funds, parental subsidies or donations from third-parties, and who are ineligible or no longer eligible for public funding options such as BAföG (Federal Training Assistance Act).

Active sponsor

Erika Sticht is the managing director of the foun-dation. Together with Susanne Peitzmann, the ad-visor, and Prof. Wolfgang Leuchtenberger, the scientific consultant, she has created a new model for the foundation: “We want to transform our-selves from a passive into an active sponsor,” says Sticht. “We not only want to distribute money but to offer our scholarship recipients all-round sup-port, as it were.“ The Executive Board agreed. In June, Executive Board Chairman Dr. Klaus Engel, Chief Human Resources Officer Ralf Blauth, and Dr. Peter Nagler, head of Innovation Management Chemicals & Creavis, approved the realignment of the endowment.

This meant some very concrete changes. “Instead of supporting 24 scholarship recipients for one year, with the option of extending the scholarship one or two more years,“ says Peitz-mann, „we’ll have ten recipients in the future who’ll receive a solid two years of funding, with the option of a one-time extension. This will offer our doctoral candidates greater planning securi-ty.” In the future, the foundation will also limit itself to fields that fit Evonik Industries. Cultural scholarships will be discontinued. But the changes don’t stop there. In the future, each scholarship recipient will be given a mentor. Dr. Stefan Buchholz, head of Innovation Manage-ment in the Industrial Chemicals Business Unit, will become the first mentor and offer scholarship recipients the opportunity to get an inside look at the company. They will also receive assistance in procuring technical literature and attending sci-entific meetings. In addition, scholarship recip-ients will be able to participate in the Evonik Per-spectives program, which helps young talent stay in contact with Evonik and strengthens their loyal-ty to the company. “But everything is voluntary. There are no strings attached to the award of the scholarship,“ says Sticht. What kind of applicants are consid-ered? “We’re assisting really excellent people,” raves Leuchtenberger. The task of finding the right ones from the mountain of applications falls to him. “It‘s not enough to write a letter that says‚ I need your help.‘ The applicant must show what he has already accomplished, describe his topic clearly, and present a detailed working plan,” explains

Scholarship recipient Oliver Busse works with vegetable oils as substitutes for gasoline in his laboratory in Dresden. “Regenerative chemistry,” he says, “fits Evonik.” (left)

Fascinated by the beauty and logic of chemistry: Melanie Thoß researches synthetic amino acids at the University of Bochum—and without financial worries, thanks to a scholarship from Evonik Foundation(middle)

“Even though I was a clear standout as a busi-ness student among all those natural scientists, I really enjoyed the foun-dation meetings, and my horizons are continually expanding thanks to my fellow scholarship recip-ients, who are really nice. Thank you for the won-derful time!” Henrik Matthies, former scholar-ship recipient (right)

e v O n i k S t i F t u n G


Leuchtenberger, who is in close touch with the scientific community and, in addition to eval-uating the application materials, also makes ver-bal inquiries. This is how applicants are screened before the Executive Board makes its decision. A wel come side effect: the foundation functions, according to Sticht, as a „radar screen for good people.“ People like Alexander Lygin. Alexander is 25. Born near Lake Baikal and raised in Moscow (Rus sia) he attended Lomonossov University and, at the tender age of 21, received his master’s de-gree in chemistry, graduating with a “red diplo-ma,” the Russian equivalent of high honors or Summa Cum Laude. Unable to speak a word of German, he decided in consultation with his wife, who is also a chemist, to go to Germany to work on his doctorate. He has worked in Göttingen (“The City of Science”) now since 2006, has long since spoken fluent German, and feels very at home. The thing that impressed him the most when he saw Germany for the first time from the air was “the orderliness.” “All the fields were neat ly ar-ranged. Everything in this country is quadratic, practical, good.”

A collaborator on six patents

Despite his young age, Lygin already has a sub-stantial list of publications under his belt. He has collaborated on six patents. He came to Evonik Foundation through his doctoral advisor. His dis-sertation—on synthesis of heterocyclical com-pounds with potential biological activity—benefits

Evonik Foundation is continuing the activities of Degussa Foundation,which was originally endowed with €2.5 million. in two additional steps, the Degussa-Hermann-Schlosser Foundation and the Degussa-konrad-Henkel Foundation were integrated into the foundation in September and October 2003. evonik Foundation currently controls as-sets totaling over €7.2 million. compared with the large foundations such as Bosch or vw, evonik Foundation is a pretty small flower in the garden of German foundations. the Association of German Founda-tions estimates the total number of foundations in Germany to be about 16,500. like almost all other foundations, evonik Foundation also has to accept losses. in 2009, the endowment awarded scholarships exclu-sively for master’s theses and dissertations for the following chemistry majors: organic chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical technology, macro-molecular chemistry, material sciences, and process engineering.

For further informationen: www.evonik-stiftung.de

basic research „but is not purely theoretical re-search.“ Despite his scientific ambitions, applied research is important to Lygin, who can see him-self in corporate research in the future, rather than at the university. This is also the goal of Oliver Busse, who works with vegetable oils at the Dresdner Institute for Technical Chemistry, and studies how they react on porous, bi-functional catalyst systems. The goal is to use them in place of fossil fuels. His chemistry teacher (“I’m still in close contact with him”) kindled his love for these molecules. Busse, too, earned his master’s degree with a grade of 1.3 and began his doctoral research in October 2008. “Regenerative chemistry,” he says, “fits Evonik.” His dissertation also lends itself to applied re-search, and like Lygin, he can see himself work-ing in research and development. He has also spent some time getting to know Evonik. The scholarship recipients meet once a year. This year Busse and the others met in Ha-nau-Wolfgang; last year they met in Berlin. These meetings afford not only a glimpse inside the com-pany but an introduction to some of the disserta-tion projects in roundtable discussions. And so here are three of a total of 24 scholar-ship recipients, who showed up on the radar screen of the Evonik Foundation by word of mouth, In-ternet research or the recommendation of their pro fessors, and all with the greatest chances of fulfilling their goals—hopefully, with Evonik in the near future. l

the catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to their corresponding primary amines plays an important role in the commercial sec-tor. The chemical industry, for example,

uses nitriles to produce nylon (from adiponitrile), high-performance plastics (from diaminobutane), surfactants, emulsifiers, and numerous medicines such as the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor and the anti-convulsive Gabapentin for treatment of epilepsy. Based on a Murray Raney (patent 1927) development, the activated metal catalysts used in the reaction are powdered full-contact catalysts made of a transitional metal aluminum alloy from which the aluminum has been leached with caus-tic soda to a content of about seven percent by weight. Nickel is used most often as the transitional metal, but copper and cobalt are also used, albeit far less frequently. The catalysts obtained in this process are comparable to highly porous sponges saturated with hydrogen on the surface.

Highly Selective Hydrogenation of nitriles to Primary Amines

c e n t O P r i M e ®


DR. JüRGEN KRAUTER, DR. DANIEL OSTGARD

T

the new centOPriMe® technology from evonik allows the direct and highly selective conversion of nitriles to primary amines with a new type of catalyst developed by the catalysts Business line. Already used successfully in such processes as the synthesis of vitamin B1, this is a technology that lives up to its claims.

Figure 1Hydrogenation of benzonitrile to the primary amine using a commercial-quality activated nickel catalyst. The secondary reaction to the undesired secondary amine can be partially suppressed by adding ammonia or alkali

If commercial-quality activated nickel catalysts are used in the hydrogenation of nitriles, second-ary and tertiary amines also form as undesired by-products. Figure 1 illustrates this for the example of benzonitrile hydrogenation. In the past, this problem was solved by adding amonia or alkali to the reaction mixture, which would promote formation of the primary amine by interfering with the chemical equilibrium. A draw-back of this method, especially with more com-plex molecules, is that undesired reactions with the other functional groups can occur in these molecules. Furthermore, the use of ammonia is critical, particularly in terms of the technical reac-tion conditions, but also from the standpoint of safety, and the use of alkali shortens the lifespan of the catalyst. But even if these drawbacks are ac-cepted, sel ectivity for conversion to the primary amine can be increased to more than 95 percent only in exceptional cases. >>>

Desired primary amine

Undesired secondary amine

Highly Selective Hydrogenation of nitriles to Primary Amines


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20 element

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evonik science newsletter

Up to 99 percent selectivity with new catalyst technology

To remove this weakness, Evonik’s Catalysts Busi-ness Line has developed a completely new gen-eration of catalysts. Even without the addition of ammonia, it offers selectivities of more than 80 percent in the hydrogenation of nitriles to prima-ry amines. Small amounts of ammonia allow these values to climb to as high as 99 percent. Previous catalysts could achieve a selectivity of between only 50 and 60 percent without ammonia. Evonik markets the patented technology under the trade-mark CENTOPRIME® (Patent WO 2006050749 of Evonik). The key to the success of this technology is in the systematic surface treatment of the catalyst, which creates defined nickel ensembles with a precise geometry. These are created through tar-geted application of carbonaceous precursors that ensure that parts of the surface are artificially “carbonized” at the end of catalyst production. This makes the catalytically active centers on the surface smaller than they are on the untreated cat-alyst. The result is steric effects that ensure the ca talysts are far more selective than the non-treat ed catalysts. Both nickel and cobalt can be used in this method of surface modification.

Figure 3Vitamin B1 synthesis: the selectivity of various catalysts in the hydrogenation of pynitrile to the primary amine, as compared to CENTOPRIME® technology

Primary amine Secondary amine Other products

% Selectivity from pynitrile hydrogenation

100

99

98

97

Activiated Ni Activiated Co Ni/SiO2 CENTOPRIME®catalysttechnology

1.7

1.9

96.4

1.0

2.2

96.8

1.3

1.9

96.8

0.199.7

0.2

96

Figure 2In vitamin B1 synthesis, pynitrile is hydrogenated to the corre-sponding primary amine, the “Grewe diamine.” About four percent byproduct is produced with conventional catalysts

Desired Grewe diamine

Undesired secondary amine

Evonik´s Catalyis Competence Center in

Hanau (Germany)

c A t A l Y S i S


more fluid the product is, and the better suited the surfactants produced from them are for the above-named applications. Typically, up to six percent secondary and ter-tiary fatty amines are produced during the hydro-genation; 40 to 80 percent of the double bonds are retained. CENTOPRIME® technology also scores in this regard: It reduces the share of secondary and tertiary fatty amines to below three percent, while alkene retention increases to over 90 per-cent. This ensures that the fatty amines are color-less, clear and display good fluid properties, which not only allow the production of high-qual-ity products but also open up other new applica-tions for fatty amines. With the conventional technology, this was not possible. Also in this case the special structure of the nickel ensembles that determine the surface of the catalyst is the reason for the high selectivity of this technology. Steric effects prevent the forma-tion of secondary and tertiary amines through the same mechanism as in the hydrogenation of the pynitrile in vitamin B1 production. Likewise, the high retention of the double bonds can be traced back to steric effects and the preference they create for absorption of the nitrile over the dou-ble bonds. Both examples show that continuous innova-tions are possible, even in the field of apparently mature nickel-catalyst technology. New technol-ogies such as CENTOPRIME® help meet the con-stant challenges faced by industrial chemistry with regard to more efficient processes and im-proved products, and thereby provide the user a higher added value. l

Yields increased in the synthesis of vitamin B1

In the synthetic production of vitamin B1, pynitrile is hydrogenated to the corresponding primary amine, the “Grewe diamine.” The mechanism shown in Figure 2 forms the undesired secondary amine. Typically, about four percent byproduct is produced in the presence of ammonia. This loss in yield is not an insignificant cost factor for the commercial scale. When CENTOPRIME® technology is used, Grewe amine yields increase to more than 99 per-cent (Fig. 3). This selectivity advantage has re-sulted in use of the new technology in the com-mercial manufacture of vitamin B1. Another ad-vantage is the flexibility: because CENTOPRIME® technology can be transferred easily to other sub-strates, there are now numerous applications in fine chemicals.

A new route to high-quality fatty amines

A host of surfactants, such as those used as soft-eners, dyeing aids, disinfectants, bactericides and detergents, are based on fatty amines, which are obtained through the selective hydrogenation of fatty nitriles in the presence of ammonia (see Figure 4). The selectivity of the reaction can be judged with the naked eye: the clarity and fluid ity of the fatty amines that form depend on how many secondary, tertiary and saturated fatty amines were produced as byproducts. The more double bonds are retained, and the higher the selectivity to the primary fatty amines is, the clearer and

DR. JüRGEN KRAUTERHead of Marketing & Business Developmentcatalysts Business lineevonik industries+49 6181 [email protected]

DR. DANIEL OSTGARDSenior Business Development Managercatalysts Business lineevonik industries +49 6181 [email protected]

CONTACT

Figure 4Production of fatty amines

A solid fatty amine with a low melting point

Green Art for a Kick


new coating transforms used tires into long-lasting Artificial turf

DR. RAINER FUCHS, DR. ANDREAS BERLINEANU

Sports fields with artificial turf are growing in number and have definite advantages over fields with natural grass and hard courts: they are easy to maintain, usable year round, and elastic—easy on the bones and ligaments of the athletes. So it is no surprise that the international Federation of Association Football (FiFA) is now actively considering artificial turf as the ideal playing surface for big tournaments. A vital element of an artificial grass field is the infill, a centimeter-thick layer of rubber granulate between the grass fibers, whose properties have now been drastically improved by evonik with a newly developed two-component coating.

The construction of new playing fields reveals a trend away from natural grass in favor of artificial turf. The German national soccer team had its debut on artificial turf in a match against Russia in Luschniki Stadium, Moscow, in October 2009. Germany won 1:0, securing early qualification for the World Cup 2010


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rope make it difficult—and expensive—to maintain the same level of quality of a natural grass field. But the general trend towards expensive high-tech stadiums, which are increasingly be coming multiple-event venues, makes an artificial turf surface more attractive and economical. Today a soccer field, next week a rock concert—with a na-tural grass field, the only option is complete re-placement. With artificial turf, however, the field can even be covered and overlaid with an ice rink. Only a few days after the ice rink is melted off and the covering is removed, the artificial grass is playable again—as was the case recently at the Salzburg Stadium.

The third, most recent generation of artificial turf systems: the short-piled variety needs a bound elastic base course made of rubber granulate, and contains comparatively little infill. With the high-piled variety, on the other hand, only the infill provides the required elasticity. This is why it contains significantly more rubber granulate as infill

A number of German soccer clubs, including from the upper leagues, now have training fields made of artificial turf because they are playable no matter what the weather is like. According to FIFA, there are currently 184 FIFA 1-star fields and 141 FIFA 2-star fields made of artificial turf, world-wide. Two-star fields are approved for the Champions League.

Man-made beats nature, even when it comes to costs

Costs are another strong argument in favor of ar-tificial turf. The landscape architecture company G. & L. Hoppe from Bremerhaven conducted a comparison study and determined that one hour of use on a natural grass field costs €100, on a “hard court“ almost €29, and on an artificial turf

field only €20. The study took into consideration both the construction and maintenance costs, as well as the potential utilization of the surface over the course of the year. The fibers of artificial grass are made of poly-propylene, polyethylene, or polyamide. A layer of sand is scattered between the fibers to weigh down the artificial grass carpet, and then a layer of rubber granulate, the „infill,“ is applied to im-part the required elasticity. The quantities are considerable: depending on the type of artificial turf, 5 to 15 kg of rubber granulate is required per square meter. The entire structure is permeable to water, so even large amounts of rainwater >>>

Short-piled turf with bound elastic base

Blade height: 1.5–2cm

High-piled turf with high infill layer

Infill: 1–1.5cm;

5kg/m2

Sand: 1cm;

15kg/m2

Bound elastic base

5–35mm (GTR

Ø 2–7mm)Soil, asphalt, or concrete

Sand: 1cm; 15kg/m2

Infill: 3–4cm; 12–15kg/m2

The Salzburg Stadium has it, so does the Swiss Stadium in Bern, as well as the Luschniki Stadium in Moscow, where the German National Soccer Team held its

World Cup qualification match against Russia: ar-tificial turf. Once decried as inferior and cursed by players and trainers alike, artificial turf has now advanced so far that FIFA is actively prom-oting it globally. As a big advantage it creates play ing fields of uniform quality standards world-wide, in a great variety of climate zones—some-thing natural grass cannot do, or can do only at great expense. In the countries of northern and southern Europe, the construction of artificial grass fields is driven more by climate than it is in Central Eu-rope. Cold weather and too much rain in north ern Europe, or too little precipitation in southern Eu-

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24 element30 evonik science newsletter

do not form puddles but instead flow out through the drainage system located under the turf. Artificial turf infill is made predominantly from recycled scrap tires, which accrue worldwide at the rate of twelve million metric tons per year—or about 1.6 billion used tires. Ground tire rubber (GTR) has several drawbacks that make it unpop-ular among many artificial turf owners and play-ers: it heats up strongly in the sun, makes both the ball and the goal posts black over time, and smells strongly. Little by little, rainwater also washes zinc ions out of the GTR infill. Zinc ions originate from the zinc oxide in the rubber granulate, which acts as crosslinking catalyst during tire pro-duction. This is why GTR infills are prohibited in Italy, for example. Other suppliers have reacted to these weaknes-ses of GTR infill by marketing products made of ethylene-propylene-diene monomers (EPDM) or thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). They have three to five times the cost of GTR infill, and from an

The UV test developed by the Project House

Functional Films & Surfaces and the Tech-nology Service Center

of the Wolfgang Industrial Park provides

reliable data on the long-term stability of the infill. From left to

right: Frank-Dieter Kuhn, Rainer Fuchs,

Doris Schneider, Marisa Cruz

The coating developed by Evonik for ground tire rubber reliably protects against external influences and dependably retains odors and zinc ions. It is also non-toxic, has the proper elasticity, does not dis-color or darken, has a low heat up in sunlight, and lasts for five to ten years—at acceptable costs

environmental standpoint, are not a sustainable product because they are not made from recycled materials. Moreover, once they are used in artificial turf fields, EPDM infills have shown little aging resis-tance, and as observed in many cases in the recent past, are not abrasion-resistant. TPE infills also dis-play weaknesses in this regard, and are extremely expensive. One alternative on the market is poly-urethane-coated GTR infills. But because of their UV sensitivity, they darken severely over time and therefore are not weather-resistant.

The solution: POLYVEST®

A manufacturer of artificial turf infills approached Evonik and asked for a creative solution to the problems with GTR. A coating was desired that not only retains substances such as zinc ions or odors in the granules, but protects the ground tire rubber against UV light, water and reactive envi-

Ozone

Water

Sunlight (UV)

Abrasion

Oils

OdorZn++

Color

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”Very close to natural grass“

As of 2008, the athletic field of the Marl chemical Park has featured a state-of-the-art artificial turf that meets the highest standards of quali-ty. the turf is the result of close cooperation between infracor GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of evonik that operates the Marl chemical Park, and the Functional Films & Surfaces Project House, which had worked intensively with infill materials for artificial turf in the prelimi-nary stages.today, well over 1,000 active members of works-related sports clubs train and play on the artificial turf. the popularity of the athletic ground extends well beyond the bounds of Marl. in September 2009, the u18 of the German national soccer team held an international match against Burkina Faso. even the German Soccer Federation praised the athletic ground in front of the gates of the Marl chemical Park.

What’s so special about artificial turf?Krakau: Despite the mechanical demands of play and the stress of the sun, rain and frost, a field like that can be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can’t do that with natural turf or with a conventional hard court (clay court). How hard is it to maintain?Krakau: the infill material is uniformly redistributed on the field through weekly removal with a kleinschlepper and the proper cultiva-tion equipment. the field also gets a thorough cleaning once a year. natural turf or hard courts have to be regularly chalked and damage to the playing field repaired, not to mention the watering, mowing and fertilizing required by natural grass.What do trainers and players have to say about artificial turf?Krakau: in Marl, we have the latest generation of artificial turf. it has a reputation well beyond our city for high quality, and optimal and consistent playing conditions. Players like it because the force dissipa-tion and the damping of the playing field is nearly 70 percent. these values exceed the requirements of FiFA 2-star quality by a wide margin. A natural motion sequence, perfect grip, and protection of musculature, joints, tendons, and ligaments are also highly praised by both players and trainers.

Jürgen Krakau of Infracor is responsible for the athletic ground and gives his assessment of the artificial turf

ronmental gases such as ozone or oxygen. It also had to be non-toxic, have the right elasticity, and adhere well to the rubber granulate. Moreover, it should not darken or discolor, and should have a lifetime of five to ten years. And absolutely essen-tial: the costs for this coating should remain rea-sonable. This is why the Functional Films & Surfaces Project House first scouted the Group to find high ly promising products. In the end, the key to their success was a special product based on POLYVEST®, a functionalized polybutadiene. Be-cause of its similarity to rubber, it can adhere well to the surface of GTR granules through chemical reactions. Following application and curing, the highly cross-linkable coating developed with these components is very flexible yet sufficiently hard, thus ensuring that GTR granules and coating form an elastic overall system that fully meets the high-est demands. The coating was developed by the Coatings & Additives Business Unit. As part of the process, the Project House used a newly developed prac-tice-oriented test system to study the coated rub-ber granulates. The obtained test results strongly influenced the further optimization of the coating formulation at the Coatings & Additives Business Unit. After more than 50 different, continuously optimized coating formulations, a coating has now been developed that optimally meets all the re-quirements for use on rubber granulates. The coating consists of a hardener and a bin-der component. The hardener component is a special product based on a functionalized polybu-tadiene. The binder component contains a binder, filler, pigments, and other products from Evonik. These are coating additives that stabilize the de-gree of dispersion of the pigments necessary for coloration, ensure abrasion-resistance and anti-settling behavior.

On the way to the market

In 2008, Evonik set up its first artificial turf field—in the “Stadion am Badeweiher” belonging to the Marl Chemical Park. The artificial turf is used year round, particularly for soccer training, and ex perience has been completely positive: The ar-tificial turf has the familiar advantages—highly elastic, easy to maintain, durable and playable in wind and weather. Encouraged by the positive re-sults with the field, Evonik has greatly stepped up the development work for a new artificial turf in-fill material based on a new coating. The alterna-tive developed by Evonik is abrasion-resistant, UV-resistant, non-toxic and reliably retains odors and zinc ions. It has proven to be superior >>>


in virtually all properties to the traditional GTR in-fills or other coatings or uncoated infill products — and the base material, the ground rubber, is a re-cycled product. In line with Evonik’s philosophy of supplying not only components but a well-thought-out sys-tem, Creavis Technologies & Innovation, the strategic research unit of Evonik for its chemical activ-ities, will begin supplying the ready-made two-component coating to artificial turf manufacturers beginning in 2010. Several playing fields are sched-uled to be equipped with this coated GTR infill as early as next year. Crucial to this successful new development was a new test system that allowed a variety of import ant requirements for the product to be tested rea listically, fast, and precisely. The DIN

DR. RAINER FUCHS Born in 1958 rainer Fuchs has been an employee of evonik since 1990, and worked on various active oxygen products and environmental projects in r&D and applications engineering. He has worked at creavis technologies & innovation since late 2004, and has been project manager of the coated Gtr project in the Functional Films & Surfaces Project House in Hanau-wolfgang since July 2006. +49 6181 [email protected]

DR. ANDREAS BERLINEANUBorn in 1958 Andreas Berlineanu (left) has worked for various companies in the coatings industry for several years. He has been responsible for the multi-faceted applications engineer ing for liquid polybutadienes in the coatings & Additives Business unit since September 2001. in the coatings & Additives Business unit, Andreas Berlineanu, kirsten luce, Siegfried Jittenmeier, nicole Dudek and Margit Bukohl (from l to r) are responsible for development of the coating system for rubber granulate infill.+49 2365 [email protected]

The path from used tire to artificial turf. Begin-

ning in 2010, Evonik will supply the two-com -

ponent coating for rub - ber granulates, obtained

from scrap tires (GTR, ground tire rubber), to

manufacturers of artificial turf infill

for artificial turf provided no clues to these require-ments, since its standards for the infill material are often quite low. The abrasion test and the UV test were important components of the self-devel-oped test system, because both methods allow reliable conclusions to be drawn about the long-term stability of the infill. In addition to the Func-tional Films & Surfaces Project House, the Tech-nology Service Center of the Wolfgang In dus trial Park contributed significantly to the development of the UV test. Like the coating formulations, the test meth-ods are patented worldwide. Deliberations are al-ready underway to recommend one or more of the tests developed at Evonik as the future stan-dard for infills, so that more realistic and mean-ingful specifications can be integrated into the current norm.

Good market prospects

The market prospects for coated GTR are good, as the trend away from natural turf and towards artificial turf in the construction of new athletic fields continues. In Europe, GTR is still the most popular choice for artificial turf. An infill made from coated used tire granulate is also currently used, but it has little UV resistance. There are also EPDM and TPE infills in the market. Depending on the type of artificial turf used, between 35 and 100 metric tons of infill is re-quired per field—a practical and, above all, sustain-able application for at least some of the used tires that accrue each year. Evonik’s use of the coating offers a “green future” for these used tires. l

Evonik Industries

GTR production

Used tires

GTR Coated GTR

Installed artificial turf

Artificial turf system suppliers

Infill

Coating

GTRcoating

Used tire recyclers


news

+++ “Area of Competence Days” point to perspectives in Biotechnology

white biotechnology is becoming a major driver of growth and innovation in the chemical industry of the 21st century. this was the assessment recently made by one of evonik industries’ largest professional conferences on white biotechnology in Marl. the event, Bio Business Perspectives, brought together some 150 com-pany employees, business leaders, and politicians in September 2009. the discussion centered on new biotech processes and prod ucts to meet the needs of tomorrow. thanks to its low ener-gy and resource intensity, white biotechnology is already scoring many points as an alternative to conventional contemporary chem ical processes. the two Area of com petence Days held at evonik underscored, however, that the economic and ecological potential of this technology is far from exhausted.

“white biotechnology means new methods, new possibilities, and new markets based on nature,” said Patrik wohlhauser, chair-man of the Management Board at evonik Degussa GmbH. “Fewer cO2 emissions, lower energy consumption, and higher efficiency – these advantages of white biotechnology are particularly wel-come news in difficult times. the health, nutrition, and cosmetics markets continue to open up new growth opportunities for bio-based products,” wohlhauser continued. “As one example evonik has already established several products in the cosmetics market that were made using biotech processes. this includes ceramides, which regulate the various cellular processes of the skin,“ added Dr. Peter nagler, head of innovation Management chemicals & creavis at evonik. in their business unit presentations, evonik’s experts discussed today’s biotechnology business, with all its opportunities and risks, and highlighted potential growth areas. Speakers from other companies and from the industry peer group analyzed the busi-ness perspectives of biotechnology from their views along the supply chain. thus, christophe rupp-Dahlem, director of the vege-tal-based chemistry program of the French company roquette, introduced the fermentative production of succinic acid from glu-cose. the acid can be used in the manufacture of new materials, and a demo plant is scheduled to become operational this year, with a first production plant to follow two years later. “industrial biotechnology will be a cornerstone of our future bio-product technologies,” rupp-Dahlem emphasized.

Patrik Wohlhauser (left), chairman of the Management Board at Evonik Degussa GmbH, and Dr. Peter Nagler, head of Innovation Management Chemicals & Creavis at Evonik

+++ CyPlus® commissions Cold Caro’s Acid systems in Brazil

cyPlus GmbH, an evonik subsidiary, has succeeded in commission-ing two cold caro’s Acid systems for concord, new Hampshire, uSA-based Jaguar Mining inc. at their turmalina and Paciencia gold-mining operations in Brazil. the systems treat cyanide-con-taining effluent. cold caro’s Acid is a powerful oxidant that is produced in situ by adding hydrogen peroxide to concentrated sulfuric acid. it is used in gold extraction to convert cyanide into cyanate. “the cyPlus® system is a proven process that achieves a yield of more than 80 percent of cold caro’s Acid,” says Stephen Gos, manager of technology Solutions at cyPlus GmbH in Hanau- wolfgang. the advantage of the cyPlus® system is that the heat from the reaction can be controlled and kept at low levels, thus ensuring safe operation. A feasibility study conducted by cyPlus® in its laboratories in Germany shows that the cold caro’s Acid process outperforms other effluent-treatment systems. Basing its decision on the feasi-bility study and the basic engineering package, Jaguar choose to install the cyPlus® system for generating cold caro’s Acid. Be-sides keeping cyanide levels in check, the system is highly efficient as regards hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid consumption.

“we require low cyanide discharge levels for our operations and it is essential to perform this economically. with the cyPlus® cold caro’s Acid systems, we expect to reduce reagent consump-tion by more than 30 percent, achieving the same low cyanide levels of 10 ppm or better. the results from the commissioning phase indicate that we made the right choice,” says Mauro Salim, project manager for both of the Jaguar Mining operations.

this cyPlus® process is es-pecially suitable for treating cy anide-containing effluents from ore processing opera-tions in order to comply with stringent limits such as those set by the international cya-nide Management code, the world Bank, and local author-ities.

CyPlus® Cold Caro’s Acid system at the Turmalina gold mine (Brazil)


+++ High-pressure for VESTAMID® PA 12

A new high performance thermoplastic polyamide (PA) pipe that is less expensive to install and easier to maintain than traditional steel pipe has been introduced for the first time in north America. evonik´s veStAMiD® lX9030 offers exceptional performance for high-pressure applications which helps gas companies effec-tively design their underground infrastructure without sacrificing flow capacity. researchers estimate that PA 12 pipe has significant labor and installation savings over steel. „PA 12 is an excellent alternative to steel pipe in high-pressure applications up to 18 bars for gas distribution lines,“ said Dennis Jarnecke, program manager at Gas technology institute (Gti), a research, development and training organization in uSA serving energy and environmental markets. „it has been used as fuel lines in cars and for air brake tubing in trucks. now we see great po-tential for its use in gas delivery systems.“ Officials at energy west, a Montana-based (uSA) gas utility and energy supplier that is laying three miles (about 4.8 km) of veStAMiD® PA 12 pipe for a natural gas distribution system along

interstate 15 frontage roads outside Great Falls, agree. they are home to the first installation of veStAMiD® PA 12 gas pipe in an established public right of way in the united States.

Less expensive to install„there are numerous benefits to utilizing PA 12 pipe,“ said ed kacer, general manager of energy west. „the material is light-weight and allows for faster construction than steel, while main-taining higher volumes associated with higher pressures. instal la-tion can be accomplished using a smaller construction crew, saving time and money.“ in addition, kacer said, very little initial investment is required for construction teams because the same equipment and processes are used when installing veStAMiD® PA 12 pipe as other plastic pipe. „today, it’s getting harder to find qualified welders and many utilities contract their welding,“ he explains. „we used our existing plastic fusion equipment and the fusions looked as good as a weld. working with PA 12 was a very positive experience.“

+++ New license agreement for vanadium-doped precious metal powder catalysts

the catalysts Business line of evonik industries and the Swiss-based company Solvias AG have renewed their license agreement for vanadium-doped precious metal powder catalysts for the hydrogenation of nitro compounds. evonik will continue to market these cat-alysts, which were developed by Solvias, on an exclu-sive basis but the underlying business model has been greatly simplified effective October 1, 2009. “Anyone purchasing these catalysts from evonik now automat-ically acquires the right to utilize the technology,” explains Dr. Jürgen krauter, head of Marketing at

evonik’s catalysts Business line. “Additional license agreements and fees will no longer be necessary. what remains is a high-performing technology that converts even complicated nitro compounds into amines reliably and with high yields.” the vanadium-doped precious metal powder catalysts can be used for se-lective hydrogenation of nitro aromatics. their advantage compared with other catalysts is that they do not target the halogen substituents in the target molecule. that makes handling nitro compounds safer and generates fewer by-products. For highly complex nitro aromatics evonik offers a second form of this cat alyst which is additionally modified with hypophosphoric acid. this is used where other catalysts reach their limits: when the target molecule contains reactive components such as double and triple bonds, carbonyl groups or highly reactive oxime groups as well as halogens. Here too, the catalyst en-sures selective hydrogenation of the nitro group only and thus obviates the need for time-consuming use of protective groups

Solvias uses technology for customized process optimizationSolvias will continue to use this technology for customized process develop-ment and optimization. “this technology complements Solvias’ broadly based expertise in heterogeneous catalysis, which ranges from the development of heterogeneous catalysis technologies and high-pressure hydrogenation through the implementation of manufacturing processes to process develop-ment and scale-up in our GMP laboratories,” comments Dr. Stephan Haitz, head of Marketing & Sales at Solvias. this Swiss company thus retains access to the entire platform of technologies for hydrogenation of nitro groups with vanadium-based catalysts. Alongside the ready-to-use vanadium-doped cata-lysts marketed by evonik, this includes in-situ variants comprising platinum catalysts to which a vanadium salt is added during the reaction.

Potential applications for vanadium-doped precious metal powder catalysts


news

to meet the needs of energy west, evonik—working jointly with Gti—coordinated a system of veStAMiD® PA 12 straight and coiled pipes and fittings. extruded in diameters ranging from 32 to 160 mm, veStAMiD® PA 12 pipes can be manufactured as straight pipe and on coils, depending on the diameter and wall thickness. this flexibility in length—particularly for long stretches of installation—saves money by reducing time spent fusing pipe ends together. equipment used in the installation of both straight and coil pipe did not require any modification. the heat fusion process for joining two ends of veStAMiD® PA 12 is easier and faster than connecting steel pipes benefiting the bottom line. compliance with pipeline integrity regulations is also more cost-effective. „traditional steel pipe must adhere to corrosion control and cathode protection requirements which add to a com-pany’s expense,“ says Jarnecke. „PA 12 is corrosion resistant and has labor and installation savings over steel.“ Federal and State pipeline safety officials, including repre-sentatives from the u.S. Department of transportation, were in attendance in Great Falls to observe the installation, which went according to plans.

Easier to maintainMore importantly, said Andreas Dowe, evonik’s Market Development Manager for oil and gas applications, veStAMiD® PA 12 provides users with a comparable alternative to steel pipe for distribution of natural gas. „we believe this innovative mate-rial will revolutionize the gas transportation industry in the united States“, he says. „it’s less expensive to install, easier to handle, and maintenance over the long term is less than traditional steel pipe.“ And he completes: „we are sure that the benefits will prevail also in other regions worldwide.“ in research performed by Gti and sponsored by Operations technology Development, nFP (OtD), PA 12 has been evaluated for use as gas-distribution piping in north America, and technical support necessary to obtain regulatory approval for its use in the u.S. was developed. extensive testing of materials resulted in a comprehensive database of the physical properties of PA 12 pipe and demonstrated conformity to AStM standards.

VESTAMID® PA 12 pipe ends are joined using a heat fusion process that is easier and faster than connecting steel pipes, benefiting the bottom line (above)

VESTAMID® PA 12 pipe coils reduce labor and installation costs (below)

Innovative light Management with High-Precision Microstructures

P l e X i G l A S ®


DR. SANDRA REEMERS, DR. HEIKO ROCHHOLZ, GRANT LAFONTAINE, PETE MARKS

PLEXIGLAS®, a transparent plastic made from polymethyl methacrylate, boasts not only high stress cracking resistance and heat deflection temperature but also outstand-

ing optical properties. Accordingly, PLEXIGLAS® covers for lighting fixtures meet the highest stan-dards of functionality. But it does so without com-promising aesthetics: sophisticated designs for trans parent diffusers can be realized for both the standard lighting and premium lighting sectors by forming PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds in the injection-molding or profile extrusion process, or cutting them from extruded sheets. Because of its outstanding optical properties, such as transparency and clarity, a major portion of the acrylic produced each year is used in tech-nical lighting applications, often for customers from the lighting industry. About 8 percent of the acrylic glass in Western Europe is processed in the lighting market. The market for lighting, lamps and lighting control systems as a whole is about €10 billion (2008) in Western Europe.

P Surfaces that are changing the world

The functionality of a plastic like PLEXIGLAS® de-pends, on the one hand, on the properties of the polymer itself, which define the mechanical and thermal characteristics of the material, as well as its color and transparency. On the other hand, it offers the opportunity to use the structure of the surface to direct the light that falls on it, thereby selectively influencing the optical properties. Here, the size, geometry, and distance of the surface structures control the optical properties of the plastic. If the structure size lies within the size of the visible light—a wavelength of 600 nm corresponds to a structure size of 0.0006 mm—diffractive effects occur. These optical effects are used, for example, to manufacture safety holo-grams and anti-reflective display cover films for mobile phones and laptops. Refractive effects occur with structures that are larger than the optical wavelength—the size of a human hair, for example, but also much

uniform room lighting with high light yield or solar concentrators that cost-effectively concentrate the sunlight onto smaller solar cells: the microstructuring of plastic surfaces offers a wide range of potential applications. thanks to the joint efforts of the Functional Films & Surfaces Project House and the Perfor-mance Polymers Business unit, this pathbreaking technology is now available to evonik industries, and gives PleXiGlAS®, the market leader among high-transparency, weather-resistant engineering plastics, new value-adding properties. PleXiGlAS® covers with high-precision prismatic structures allow uniform room lighting without glare.

>>>

Influence of the structure size on optical properties, such as the transmission and reflection behavior of a transparent plastic (λ = wavelength)

Structure size >> λ Structure size = λ Structure size << λ

Innovative light Management with High-Precision Microstructures


D e S i G n i n G w i t H P O l Y M e r S

Precisely structured PLEXIGLAS® covers provide uniform illumination of rooms without glare

>>>


is why conventional grid lighting is equipped with special aluminum grids that direct light rays that radiate above an angle of 60° downward. To selectively direct, bundle and distribute light, as well as minimize scatter losses, the sur-face structures must be precisely formed. This ex-ceptionally high precision is a hallmark of quality of the surface structures that Evonik produces with the help of its new technology platform. Accordingly, the areas of the structures here have very minimal edge roughness. Because the quality of the pyramid edges determines the path the light rays take when they hit them, rough surfaces scatter light rays in all directions, causing scatter effects and losses. The smoother the edge surfaces are, however, the more selectively they direct the light rays in a particular direction, no matter which angle the light falls, and the better the effect and light yield.

Precision saves energy

For defined light direction, it is also important that the points of the pyramid are rounded as little as possible, since rounded edges direct light im pre-cisely and generate scatter losses. The pattern ma nu factured by Evonik scores in this regard too. The radii at the points of the internal edges are so small that no demonstrable scatter losses occur. The highly precise light redirection also ensures that less energy has to be used for lighting the room—while simultaneously creating more com-fortable lighting conditions—than with conventional grid lighting, which simply blocks the light.

larger structures. The light is refracted on the sur face—very much like light on the surface of water. To take this idea a step further, light can be directed in such a way that it spreads in a defined direction after it penetrates the surface. The action is created through surface structures that function like small prisms. Evenly arranged over the entire surface, their individual light-deflecting actions combine to create an overall effect observable on the macroscopic scale. And this effect becomes even stronger the more precisely the microstruc-tures are formed and compatible with each other. Lighting designers, architects, and engineers in building and solar technology are particularly in-terested in using these opportunities of selec-tively distributing and directing light. Selectively and precisely structuring the sur-face gives developers the opportunity to direct, bundle or scatter light evenly. How polymer sur-faces can be technologically functionalized through microstructuring is a research focus of the Func-tional Films & Surfaces Project House, which Evonik started in Hanau in January 2007. An inno-vative technology platform for high-precision microstructuring of PLEXIGLAS® films and sheets was also developed as part of the project.

Light management meets design

Ceiling lighting in offices should light the work-place evenly without causing reflections on PC monitors. This kind of glare is caused by lateral, downwardly inclined rays from ceiling lights. This

Based on the standard for lighting workplaces, lights must be anti-glare for the sake of ergonomics. To this end, light rays that radiate above an angle of 60° must be directed downward

Glare Glare

New PLEXIGLAS®covering

No glare

D e S i G n i n G w i t H P O l Y M e r S


High-precision structures are required for efficient light management. Roughness or curves in the structure lead to scatter effects—they also glare and lower light yields (below)

100% defined light distribution PLEXIGLAS® hight-precision structures

60% defined

40% undefinedPoorly formed structures

High-precision: a structured PLEXIGLAS® surface produced by Evonik. In lighting fixture covers, the material ensures that light that would otherwise shine in all directions (below left) is guided at a defined angle and thus causes no glare (below right)

A more efficient inline process

Comparison with products already on the market reveals that the microstructures produced by Evonik display a precision heretofore unrealized. This is possible thanks to a special process that also lends itself to inline extrusion. The option of inline processing is a key competitive advantage, as is the fact that all chemicals, materials and pro-cesses used at Evonik are available in-house. Evonik has proven in an array of tests that the technology delivers on its promises. With this tech nology, the kinds of large formats that can no longer be achieved in the injection-molding pro-cess, for example, can be realized quite cost-effec-tively. This offers lighting manufacturers greater design freedom because it allows them to cut flex-ible formats, for example. In addition to pyramids, other prismatic struc-tures can be custom-engraved into the PLEXIGLAS® surface. The Performance Polymers Business Unit offers its customers assistance in the complete de-velopment of lighting—from conception of the tech-nical lighting design, through optical simulations, all the way to production of PLEXGLAS® sheet prod ucts for light covers. With these special struc-tures from Evonik, customers can equip their lighting series with individual structures and spe-cial effects, thereby creating a unique selling point in this increasingly competitive market. Film and sheet strengths of fractions of a millimeter up to 20 milli meters are possible. But the technology can serve more than just the lighting market. There is also an array of pos-sible applications that can be used to tap other mar ket segments. One highly attractive field of ap plication is solar concentrator systems, which use PLEXIGLAS® sheets with a microstructure that forms a linear or radial Fresnel lens to direct incident light to a small, highly efficient photovol-taic element. With the development of the technol-ogy platform for surface structuring, the project house and the Performance Polymers Business Unit have worked hand-in-hand to create the framework necessary for this technology. l


DR. HEIKO ROCHHOLZBorn in 1977Heiko rochholz works in the Business Development unit of evonik’s Performance Polymers Business unit. Since early 2008, he has also taught optics and image processing at Darmstadt university. rochholz studied physics at Johannes Gutenberg university in Mainz, and in 2005, earned his doctorate at the Max Planck institute for Polymer research while simultaneously studying basic business administration at the university of Mainz. He began his career in 2005, working in material testing in the Analytical Services unit at

evonik’s site in Darmstadt before moving to his current position in mid 2007. +49 6151 18-3754, [email protected]

DR. SANDRA REEMERSBorn in 1977As senior project manager in the Functional Films & Surfaces Project House, Sandra reemers is respon-sible for the Structuring of Polymer Surfaces project. in addition to building a technology platform, the aim of the project is production of demonstrators for optical applications. reemers studied chemistry at rwtH Aachen and earned her doctorate there at the institute for technical and Macromolecular chemistry, working with Prof. Martin Möller in the area of surface modification. She completed part of the work

on her degree in the Printable electronics unit of the nanotronics Science-to-Business center of evonik industries. in mid 2007 she began her career at evonik as an employee of the project house in the field of surface functionalization, before accepting her current position in early 2008. +49 6181 59-2439, [email protected]

PETE MARKSin his role as new Business Development Manager for Sheet Products in the Performance Polymers Business unit nAFtA, Marks focuses primarily on solar, architectural lighting, and energy-efficient glazing markets. Marks earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from virginia Polytechnic institute and State university, and started at cyro industries’ wallingford, connecticut site as a Process engineer in 1992. Marks worked in technical Services and Product Development for five years before moving to

cyro’s Osceola, Arkansas site. During his eleven years at the Osceola site, Marks held various production positions in sheet and molding compounds, and also served as Plant Manager prior to moving to the Sanford, Maine site in 2008 to fill his current role. Marks earned his Masters degree in Business Administration at the university of Memphis in 2002.+1 207 490-4371, [email protected]

GRANT LAFONTAINEBorn in 1960Grant laFontaine is responsible for Business Develop ment and r&D in north America for the acrylic sheet business of evonik’s Performance Polymers Business unit. laFontaine studied chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the university of toronto (canada), and in 1985, earned his masters degree. He began his career with evonik’s affiliate evonik cyro llc, in 1985 as a production super-intendent and progressed through a number of positions in production, technical service, and r&D

within evonik’s acrylic polymers business before moving to his current position. +1 207 490-4328, [email protected]

ccflex® can be applied like wallpaper, but its ceramic properties make it as robust and waterproof as tile


news

+++ Ruhr2030Award for ccflex®

A team from evonik has received the ruhr2030Award for a new and revolutionary ceramic wall covering. the initiativkreis ruhr (ruhr Area initiative), which offers the award, praised ccflex® as an outstanding in-novation in the meta-competence field of energy, Materials, and logistics. Project manager Dr. Frank weinelt accepted the €50,000 award at the Zeche Zollverein on behalf of his entire team. Dr. klaus engel, chairman of the executive Board of evonik industries AG, was the first to offer congratulations: “we are delighted by this award. with our new tech-nologies we solve the problems of today and can al-ready provide answers for the pressing problems of tomorrow.” the jury was particularly impressed by the functional versatility of the ccflex® ceramic wall covering. “ccflex® combines the best properties of classic wall-paper and conventional wall tiles,” explained weinelt. commercially available wallpaper is popular mainly because it is easy to apply and store. For sanitary ap-plication, on the other hand, wall tiles are preferred; al though they are very robust and waterproof, their application is much more laborious. ccflex®, on the other hand, is applied like wallpaper, and thanks to its cer amic properties is as robust and waterproof as tile. it can be applied without joins on virtually any shape of wall, and even in the shower stall. the ceramic structure also creates a pleasant ambience. the wall covering has also won plaudits for its visual appeal. An international jury of 28 designers vot ed ccflex® as the winner of the iF product design award for 2009, and Messe Frankfurt, in conjunction with the German Design council, chose the wall cov-ering for its Design Plus Award 2009. in addition, the Stardust design of ccflex®, created by interior designer Sylvia leydecker, won the bronze medal of the Ger-man Designer club for 2008.

Exclusive license to Marburger TapetenfabrikFollowing its successful development, the product is now being launched widely on the market. to this end evonik has awarded an exclusive license for produc-tion and marketing of ccflex® to Marburger tapeten-fabrik J.B. Schaefer GmbH & co. kG. this is the lead-ing producer of technical wall coverings and, as Ger-many‘s third largest manufacturer of wallpaper, also active throughout europe. Marburger tapetenfabrik will present ccflex® in its first appearance at the Heimtextil trade show in January 2010. ccflex® was developed in Marl, where evonik has pooled its strategic research in creavis. From its annu-al r&D budget of more than €300 million, evonik al-locates about 15 percent to research and development for cross-disciplinary research projects. the concept,

although simple, is highly effective. in the science-to-business centers and project houses, researchers from various disciplines work in the closest possible collab-oration, jointly developing innovative solutions for the future. this collaboration is highly productive as well as time-efficient. the aim is to develop an idea into a market-ready product within three to five years. “Already today, we generate 20 percent of our sales revenues from products less than five years old,” said engel. “And we plan to increase this proportion further with new products from our research.”

Production plant for ccflex®. The product will now be widely launched by Marburger Tapeten-fabrik, to which Evonik has awarded an exclu sive license

Credits

PublisherEvonik Degussa GmbHInnovation Management Chemicals & CreavisRellinghauser Straße 1–1145128 EssenGermany

Scientific Advisory BoardDr. Norbert FinkeEvonik Degussa GmbHInnovation Management Chemicals & [email protected]

EditorsDr. Karin Assmann (responsable)Evonik Services GmbHEditorial [email protected]

Contributing EditorsDr. Angelika Fallert-MüllerChrista FriedlChristoph PeckMichael Vogel

DesignMichael Stahl, Munich (Germany)

PhotosEvonik IndustriesDirk BannertKarsten BootmannDieter DeboNico HoffmannStefan WildhirtM. Kästner/Digitalstock (p.14)Raul Touzon/Getty Images (p. 6)

Printed byLaupenmühlen Druck GmbH & Co.KGBochum (Germany)

Reproduction only with permission of the editorial office

Evonik Industries is a worldwide manufacturer of PMMA products sold under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark on the European, Asian, African, and Australian continents and under the ACRYLITE® trademark in the Americas

Evonik Industries AGRellinghauser Straße 1–1145128 EssenGermany

www.evonik.com

16.12.–21.12.2007International Symposium on Catalysis & Fine Chemicalssingapur

www.cfc2007.org/index.html

events

N O V E M B E R 0 9 D E C E M B E R 0 9

11/09–11/10/2009Synthetic Bio(techno)logyfrankfurt/main (germany)www.dechema.de/synbio

11/26–11/27/20093rd Aachen-Dresden international textile conferenceaachen (germany)www.aachen-dresden-itc.de

12/08/2009new carbon Sources for Biotechnologyfrankfurt/main (germany)http://events.dechema.de/feedstock.html

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01/20–01/21/2010Processnet Symposium: industrial utilization of renewable resourcesfrankfurt/main (germany)www.processnet.org/bioraff2010.html

02/23–02/24/201010th colloquium: Joint research on Adhesive technology frankfurt/main (germany)events.dechema.de

M A RC H 1 0 A P R I L 1 0

03/08–03/10/201011th international conference on Microreaction technology (iMret 11)kyoto (japan)www.cheme.kyoto-u.ac.jp/8koza/imret11

03/10–03/12/201043rd Annual conference of the German catalysis Societyweimar (germany)www.processnet.org/katalytiker2010.html

03/14–03/19/2010eucHeM conference on Molten Salts and ionic liquids 2010bamberg (germany)http://events.dechema.de/euchem2010.html

04/07–04/10/2010POlYcHAr 18 - world Forum for Advanced Materialssiegen (germany)http://polychar18.uni-siegen.de

M AY 1 0

05/02–05/07/2010eucHeM conference on Stereochemistrybrunnen (switzerland)www.stereochemistry-buergenstock.ch

06/07–06/11/2010Formula vi – Formulations for the futurestockholm (sweden)www.chemsoc.se/sidor/kk/formulavi/index.htm

08/29–09/02/20103rd eucheMS chemistry congressnuremberg (germany)www.euchems-congress2010.org

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elements 29, issue 4 | 2009 - evonik industriesppa into monofilaments geometry and color are...

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