Polymer Partnerships Target Transportation

In separate agreements, three big European chemical makers are partnering with smaller firms to develop novel polymers for transportation applications. Solvay is linking with 3A Composites, a subsidiary of the Swiss firm Schweiter Technologies. Solvay says the alliance will be a “game changer” for the development of lightweight specialty foam materials for aircraft. The firms will build on Solvay foams used in Solar Impulse, a solar-powered airplane. BASF and the German carbon fiber producer SGL have codeveloped a composite of carbon fiber and nylon 6 that the firms now plan to apply to the automotive industry. For the partnership, SGL developed a carbon fiber sizing agent; BASF contributed reaction injection molding technology and its Ultrasim simulation tool. Meanwhile, Total has acquired a 68% stake in Polyblend, a German producer of specialty plastics primarily for the automotive sector.