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Topics on this page:
Global competency network
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Nanotechnology drives innovation in many sectors of industry
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Alliances
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Nanotechnology at BASF |
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New materials with improved properties thanks to nanotechnology |
Nanotechnology is recognized as one of the world's most exciting new technologies, offering product developers the chance to create entirely new properties through the controlled manufacture and structuring of materials, and driving innovation in many sectors of industry. BASF is a global leader in chemical nanotechnology, and has all that it takes to explore nanotechnology's full potential while ensuring its safe application: special analytical methods; expertise in chemistry, physics, biology and engineering; long experience in the safe handling of new materials.
The prefix "nano" (from the Greek word for dwarf) describes an order of magnitude, one nanometer being one billionth of a meter. This is about the length of five to 10 atoms arranged end to end. A nanometer is to a meter what a table tennis ball is to planet Earth. The term nanotechnology describes the targeted and controlled development, manufacture and use of structures, materials and systems in magnitudes smaller than a hundred nanometers.
Examples include nanoparticles or thin layers, as well as specially manufactured structures and surfaces. Continuously improving analytical methods that enable an ever more detailed insight into the world of the tiniest structures are contributing to the growing understanding of the effects that a substance's nanostructure has on its macroscopic properties.
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"The deeper understanding of relationships at nanodimensional level enables us to use new effects systematically and safely and to develop products that even more effective," says Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and Research Executive Director. "We will use the new insights and developments arising from nanotechnology for continued profitable growth in expanding markets and as a basis for tapping into new markets."
Nanotechnology is one of the key technology-driven megatrends singled out for special development by BASF. The company has budgeted €180 million for investment in nanotechnology from 2006 until the end of 2008.
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Building up a global competency network
Nanotechnology plays an important role in all of BASF's segments. Researchers at the Ludwigshafen site are exploring ways to put insights from the world of nanotechnology to work effectively and safely. These experts work in close cooperation with BASF labs and external research institutes throughout the world.
In October, BASF and Harvard University announced an agreement to jointly establish the BASF Advanced Research Initiative. The initiative, which will initially support 10 postdoctoral students for five years with up to $20 million, is housed on the Harvard campus in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The joint research projects focus on understanding processes at the molecular and supramolecular level, i.e., on a nanometer scale. The researchers explore issues such as how biofilms develop on various surfaces, and the role played by interactions between bacteria and nanoscale materials. Given the health effects of such biofilms in clinical, industrial and domestic settings, it is important to understand how their formation can be influenced and prevented. Another research topic is the development of new nanoformulations for a range of active substances, especially those that are not readily soluble in water. Nanoformulations have the function of releasing the active substance at a target area where it takes controlled effect. The benefits of nanoformulations include better solubility and higher bioavailability of the active substance.
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BASF operates a global research center in Singapore. The company benefits in this way from the excellent local research infrastructure and strengthens its Asian research network. The center's 40 employees investigate nanostructured coatings for ship hulls that can prevent the buildup of marine organism deposits. Nanotechnology can thus help to mitigate environmental pollution on a sustainable basis, as these antifouling coatings do away with the need for biocides, for example in the form of heavy metals in paints. Ships with no biofouling can reduce their fuel consumption by up to 40 percent. As well as investigating nanostructured surfaces, the Singapore center is working on organic materials for printed electronics and is investigating new and improved semiconductor materials for the production of transistor circuits. These can be used for example to make Radio Frequency IDentification systems for product identification or access control, as well as for flexible displays. Similar organic semiconductor materials can be used to make organic solar cells.
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The BASF lab at Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg (ISIS, Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires) is specialized in supramolecular chemistry, developing synthesis pathways for synthetic foams with nanometer-scale pore sizes. These nanopores prevent cell gas molecule collisions, and in this way reduce heat conduction in the foam to less than half of that observed with conventional materials. The nanofoam is designed as an insulating material for refrigerators, buildings, cars and even planes. It will reduce energy consumption and save materials, thus benefiting the environment.
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Nanotechnology drives innovation in many sectors of industry
BASF also uses nanotechnology in many established areas to give new properties to known classes of substances. One example is aqueous polymer dispersions. They represent not only a remarkably versatile product class, but are also one of BASF's strengths. Polymer dispersions are contained for example in outdoor paints. BASF's COL.9® new-generation binders make paint jobs on buildings highly resistant to weathering and dirt, due to their extremely fine nanostructure. The principle: inorganic nanoparticles in COL.9 binders are incorporated and fixated in organic polymer particles of water-based dispersions. After the paint dries, the inorganic nanoparticles form a homogenous three-dimensional network that not only protects against dirt but keeps the color looking fresh for longer.
Another example taken from the construction industry is the innovative isolation mortar for tiles, PCI Nanosilent®. The all-in-one solution meets three challenges at once: It levels substrate irregularities, isolates the floor covering from the substrate, and reduces footfall sound. The material structures responsible for each function are on the nanometer scale. The main challenge during development was to adjust the mortar curing process to produce ideal nanostructures for a better tile-substrate interface. The isolation mortar PCI Nanosilent®'s special properties are due to the addition of specialty polymers and rubber granules.
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The BASF product Mincor® TXTT shows what nanotechnology can do for the textile industry. This textile finishing contains particles measuring less than 100 nanometers which have a self-cleaning effect. On textiles treated with Mincor®, billions of nanoparticles are packed too closely together to let in the merest speck of dust. This is the basis of the "lotus effect," a dirt repellant technique inspired by the lotus plant. Any foreign bodies - dirt particles, for example - hover on a layer of air separating them from the surface and simply wash away in the next shower of rain. Dirt-repellent textiles with a Mincor coating are used in the manufacture of awnings, parasols and tents.
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Customers in the car industry or electronics segment benefit from a range of advantages with Ultradur® High Speed, a nanotechnology-based engineering plastic. Incorporation of a nanoparticulate additive significantly improves the plastic's flowability while preserving its mechanical properties. Manufacturers can process Ultradur® High Speed at lower temperatures, thereby saving energy and conserving resources. Our developers have succeeded in applying this concept to Ultramid , a polyamide from BASF. Ultramid High Speed not only has significantly enhanced flowability, but a much higher thermal change resistance at high temperatures. These features make it ideal for the manufacture of large under-the-hood components such as cylinder heads. Manufacturers can save on materials by taking advantage of the good flowability and use thinner walls for injection-molded parts. The environment benefits from the lower weight of the component.
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Alliances boost impetus for innovation
Three-dimensional photonic crystals may be about to revolutionize the future of telecommunications. BASF scientists on the E.U. project NewTon are collaborating with partners such as the Hanover Laser Center, Thales Aerospace Division, Photon Design Ltd., the Technical University of Denmark and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications de Bretagne in the development of these crystals. The aim is to use these materials as construction elements in telecommunications. End users could be the main beneficiaries. Components made using three-dimensional photonic crystals would become increasingly smaller and cheaper versus electronic components, while providing a better performance. They would also be more robust and less vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation.
Almost all areas of science and technology are now contributing to the development of nanotechnology. BASF's ability to utilize the latest scientific findings on a broad basis is the cornerstone of its economic success. The company's Research Verbund offers an optimal platform for this purpose.
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