Covestro Offers Tear-resistant Polycarbonate Films for Breast Implant Packaging

Covestro has announced that it is particularly focused on premium packaging materials for high value medical devices that meet increased requirements for mechanical protection, sterilization and dimensional stability. Breast implants are sensitive products that should arrive undamaged at the treating doctor or hospital after manufacture, sterilization and transport. Covestro's Makrofol® MA507 polycarbonate film is well suitable for their packaging because it is highly transparent and allows the physician to reliably visually inspect the implant before unpacking it.

It also provides stable protection for the valuable medical device. The comparable product Makrofol® MA336 offers the same advantages, but also features a laminating film on it. Both films are characterized by high tear and impact resistance. They can be easily thermoformed and are fully compatible with the demanding autoclave sterilization process, where they need to withstand temperatures of up to 163 degrees Celsius. Both materials meet the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard and two ASTM standard specifications for implantable breast prosthesis certification. Source: Covestro

SGL Carbon & Hyundai Extend Agreement for Fuel Cell Component Used in Automotive

SGL Carbon and the Hyundai Motor Group have announced an agreement on an early extension to the existing supply agreement for fuel cell components. The long-term agreement provides now for a substantial ramp-up of current production and delivery volumes of gas diffusion layers for the NEXO fuel cell car to support Hyundai’s objectives in the area of fuel cell drives. The investment required to fulfill this contract will not increase the overall capital expenditure budget of SGL Carbon in the next two years, as the company has reprioritized its investment projects.

Greenest Energy Technology

“The extension of the partnership with Hyundai is perfectly aligned to our strategic direction. Intelligent solutions in the area of sustainable energy are one of the key growth drivers for our company,” explains Dr. Michael Majerus, Spokesman of the Board of Management of SGL Carbon. “Whether used in a drive system in vehicles or as a stationary power supply, the fuel cell is one of the greenest energy technologies around. The market for fuel cells thus offers enormous potential for us.”

Expanding Fuel Cell Component Business

In the medium-term, SGL Carbon plans to more than quintuple its business with fuel cell components to annual sales of approximately 100 million euro. The company supplies around 200 customers around the world with gas diffusion layers for use in fuel cells. As a result of the growing demand, the company has gradually stepped up production capacity at its plant in Meitingen. 

Thanks to its technological expertise and experience, SGL Carbon can manufacture high-quality components for fuel cells on an industrial scale. To further advance the accelerated commercialization, the business with gas diffusion layers (GDL) will be transferred from the central R&D department Central Innovation to the business unit Graphite Materials & Systems (GMS) already in the fourth quarter 2019.

Clean Hydrogen-based Technology

Powered by hydrogen, the fuel cell is one of the cleanest technologies of the future. Hydrogen can be produced in a climate-neutral way using surplus energy from renewable sources. The only waste product after the reaction is water, which can be discharged in the form of water vapor. In the transport sector, the fuel cell offers greater range and a shorter refueling time than battery-powered drive systems. 

Source: SGL Carbon

Researchers Convert Forestry Biomass into High-value Chemicals

A research team, jointly led by Professor Ji Wook Jang, Professor Yong Hwan Kim, and Professor Sang Hoon Joo in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has unveiled a novel biomass conversion technology that can turn forestry biomass residues (i.e., sawdust from timber logging) into higher value fuels and chemicals. 

Researchers Introduce Fusion Catalytic System

In the study, the joint research team has introduced a fusion catalytic system that can selectively convert lignin, which forms the chief constituent of wood wastes, into higher value chemicals via solar energy.

Lignin, after Cellulose, is the second most abundant renewable biopolymer found in nature and is usually discarded as waste in the pulp and paper industry in very large amounts. Unlike Cellulose, the structure of lignin is extremely complex and lacks steric regularity. Such traits make lignin hard to break down and even harder to convert into something valuable. 

Biocatalysts, such as enzymes, are often involved in lignin degradation, thus careful quantification of the input material (i.e., hydrogen peroxide, H2O2) is important for the activation of catalysts. At present, the process of extracting lignin from biomass is handled via Anthraquinone Process. However, due to high-pressure hydrogen condition and precious metal catalysts, this was not suitable for use with enzymes.

The research team solved this issue via the development of a compartmented photo-electro-biochemical system for unassisted, selective, and stable lignin valorization. The main advantage of this system is that it involves three catalytic systems (a photocatalyst for photovoltage generation, an electrocatalyst for H2O2 production, and a biocatalyst for lignin valorization) that are integrated for selective lignin dimer valorization upon irradiation with sunlight without the need for electrical energy or additional chemicals.

System Designing

• In designing the system, the research team placed polymer electrolyte membranes as separators between cells to protect the biocatalyst from detrimental conditions generated during the reaction, thus preserved its stability and activity.
• Their results show that the photo-electro-biochemical system can catalyze lignin dimer cleavage with a 93.7% conversion efficiency and 98.7% selectivity, which far surpasses those of single-compartment (37.3% and 34.8%) and two-compartment (25.0%, 48.1%) systems.
• The system was further applied for sustainable polymer synthesis using a lignin monomer, coniferyl alcohol, with a 73.3% yield and 98.3% of conversion efficiency; however, the polymer yields of the single-compartment and the two-compartment systems were only ca. 0% and 8.6%, respectively.

“This unassisted selective lignin valorization technology could convert waste lignin to value-added aromatics and polymer without the need for any additional energy and chemicals,” says Professor Ji Wook Jang. “This could possibly overcome the problems associated with current biomass upgradation, such as its low-cost effectiveness and limited processing technology.”

“This research is significant as it presents new possibilities for converting biomass such as waste wood into aromatic petrochemicals in an environmentally friendly way,” says Professor Yong Hwan Kim. “We believe that the development and scaling-up of this technology will be a milestone for the replacement of petrochemicals with biochemicals.”

Source: UNIST

Covestro’s CO2-based Plastics Production Method Among Finalist at Award Ceremony

A team of Covestro and RWTH Aachen has developed a new method for the use of carbon dioxide as a raw material, which ranks among the year’s best innovations in Germany. The new technologies make CO2 usable in plastics production and thereby reduces fossil resources like petroleum. They made it to the final round of the renowned German President's Award for Innovation in Science and Technology, which was presented in Berlin by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 

Using CO2 for Resource Conservation and Circular Economy

According to team spokesperson Gürtler, using CO2 contributes to resource conservation by partially replacing the conventional raw material oil as the sole source of carbon. At the same time, it also makes it possible to produce more recyclable plastics whose components could be recycled more easily. In addition, the circular economy will benefit from the reuse of carbon dioxide. 

“We also see considerable potential for value creation by using CO2,” stressed Gürtler, who is responsible for developing new methods and products at Covestro.

“With the new platform technology, CO2 can be used to develop a wide range of high-quality plastics,” explained Berit Stange. She is responsible for the circular economy in a leading position at Covestro and supports the marketing of the new method.

Chemical precursors with CO2 (polyols) are already on the market for producing soft foams (polyurethane) for mattresses and soft furniture. The new material cardyon® is now also used for sports flooring. Further areas of application include elastic textile fibers, insulation and car interior applications.

Custom-made Catalyst

The use of CO2 was conceived in a research breakthrough. The difficulty that CO2 has in forming chemical bonds was a great challenge that was overcome. The solution was essentially found in a custom-made catalyst. It controls the chemical reaction so that it is environmentally friendly, economical and efficient.

This breakthrough was achieved by experts from Covestro and the CAT Catalytic Center, a research institute jointly operated by the company and the RWTH Aachen. Experts had been searching for such a catalyst for decades.

Covestro Among the Three Finalists

“Team CO2”, which made it among the three finalists and presented its innovation on stage in Berlin, consists of Dr. Christoph Gürtler and Dr. Berit Stange from Covestro, as well as Professor Walter Leitner, who teaches and performs research at RWTH Aachen and the Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion. The trio played a major role in the development and market launch of this innovative method. The German President’s Prize (or “Deutscher Zukunftspreis”) is handed out annually for outstanding achievements in technology and natural science that lead to market-ready products.

Avoiding Crude Oil as Central Resource

“We are very happy that we made it to the final round. The idea behind CO2 innovation fits in perfectly with the times Fossil sources, such as crude oil can no longer be the industry’s central resource if the world is heading towards a future that is low in greenhouse gases," said Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. 

“The award has encouraged us to continue working intensively on developing innovative solutions for greater sustainability in many areas. Together with partners from the business and scientific community, we will continue to forge ahead with the development of alternative resources, such as CO2. As a chemicals and research location, Germany can make a name for itself in this field,” adds Steilemann.

Source: Covestro

Study Unveils New Chemical Payload Bearing Polymer Ideal for Medical Implants

Caltech scientists have developed a new kind of polymer that can carry a chemical payload as part of its molecular structure and release it in response to mechanical stress. The chemical system they have developed could one day be used to create medical implants that can release drugs into the body when triggered by something like ultrasound waves, they say.

Set of Polymer Chains Bonded to the Payload System

The new material consists of a set of polymer chains bonded to the payload system, creating a mechanically sensitive unit called a mechanophore. A so-called cascade reaction ejects the payload from the polymer. In simple terms, force applied to the polymer causes weak bonds in the mechanophore to rupture, spitting out an unstable intermediate molecule that promptly breaks down to release the attached payload.

Release of Coumarin Dye

In their paper, the authors demonstrate the release of a coumarin dye, an organic molecule with useful properties, but they say the polymer could be tailored to release a variety of molecules, including those with therapeutic qualities.

Releasing Drugs on Command

A material that can release drugs on command could be used to provide more precise treatment of some medical conditions, for example, a cancer therapy could deliver a drug directly to the intended target.

"The generality of this new platform is unique in that it allows, in principle, the mechanically triggered release of a wide range of cargo molecules," Robb says.

New System Can Be Used for Triggered Depolymerization

The system Robb and his colleagues have developed could also be tweaked for other purposes. He says that it is possible to create a polymer that depolymerizes or completely breaks down into small molecules, when subjected to stress. Alternatively, a polymer could be tailored to release a reporter molecule to signal locations in a structure that are under stress and could lead to a structural failure.

"We are actively working on expanding the design in a number of directions, to evaluate the scope of cargo release and for triggered depolymerization, which is particularly promising for stress amplification since it allows a single triggering event to generate many small molecules through a domino reaction," Robb says.

Source: Caltech

Toray creates world’s first porous carbon fiber with a nanosized continuous pore structure

Using this fiber as a support layer could lighten advanced membranes used in greenhouse gas separation and hydrogen production and make them more compact, thereby enhancing performance.

The company will keep pushing ahead with R&D for this new material to foster carbon recycling, collaborating with other entities in developing applications to sustainably tap hydrogen energy and shrink environmental footprints.

Absorption- and adsorption-based facilities conventionally separate carbon dioxide, biogas, hydrogen, and other gases. The issue with such setups, however, is that they are large and consume a lot of energy, resulting in heavy carbon dioxide emissions. Gas separation methods employing membranes have thus attracted considerable attention. But despite ongoing research, no membranes have yet combined satisfactory gas separation performance and durability.

Toray’s new material is chemically stable because it comprises carbon, and offers outstanding gas permeability. The material employs thin, flexible fibers, so when it is used to support gas membranes a module can house many of them. Modules can thus be compact and light. Such support makes it possible to combine a range of gas separation layers.

Toray looks to contribute to the swift commercialization of advanced separation membranes that are vital to materializing eco-friendly natural gas and biogas purification and hydrogen production.Toray innovated its new material by combining its outstanding polymer technology with its market share-leading carbon fiber technologies and water treatment and other separation membrane technologies.

Harnessing its polymer technology enabled the company to create a porous carbon fiber with uniformly continuous pores and carbon. It is possible to set nano- through micro-level pore sizes for porous structures. Another possibility is to create a hollow fiber-shaped porous carbon fiber in the center of a fiber.Prospective applications leveraging the excellent adsorption of Toray’s new material include electrode materials and catalyst carriers (base substances for fixing other substances) in high-performance batteries.

Toray will open its R&D Innovation Center for the Future in December this year. The new facility will serve as a global headquarters for strategic innovations by engaging with academic institutions and key partners from diverse fields. The company will collaborate with several partners in efforts leveraging its new material in a drive to commercialize more advanced gas separation membranes.

Under the Toray Group Sustainability Vision, the company looks to keep developing technologies that help materialize low-carbon economies by 2050 by contributing to resolutions of environmental, resources, and energy issues.

Source:TORAY

IEEE WIE Forum USA East Nov 21-23,ARLINGTON

The 5th Annual IEEE WIE Forum USA East Event will be held on November 21-23,2019 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, VA , which will focus on developing and improving leadership skills and driving innovation for individuals at all stages of their careers. Attendees will have the opportunity to be educated, inspired, and empowered by presentations given by successful leaders, attend workshops, network with peers, learn ways to kickstart programs which excite and inspire the women engineers of the future. Registration Fee: 390 USD REGISTER @ https://lnkd.in/fHyCZri PATRONS SPONSORSHIP: An innovative selection of sponsorship packages have been put together for our 2019 program,ranging from Diamond $10K- Silver$1.5K level. CAREER FAIR (Nov 22) It is open to all technical career fields including (but not limited to) Aerospace Engg,Computer Engg ,Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Scientists, Electrical Engg, Engg Management, Info Tech, Mechanical Engg,Manufacturing, and R & D. For Companies to be part of the fair it is only 600 dollars.A table and small area will be provided for companies to screen and do onsite recruitment. Discount:Contact me for special discount. Contact:Neeta Basantkumar Theordore (ateenjar@ieee.org)