Brazilian company announces new patent in nanotechnology

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Braskem announces the deposit of new patent in nanotechnology

Braskem, the first Brazilian petrochemical company to request a patent in nanotechnology in Brazil, is depositing its second patent related to this technology in Brazil today. Nanotechnology is one of the most promising frontiers in the scientific area of polymers and materials in general. Besides this initiative, which confirms Braskem’s pioneerism in nanotechnology in the regional market, the company has just made the international deposit of its first patent related to this technology.

Nanocomposites are resins that receive nanoparticles, about 50 thousand times smaller than a strand of hair, that afford the products greater physical properties, such as 30% greater rigidity, more shine and greater resistance to impacts.

According to Luiz de Mendonça, vice-president and responsible for the Braskem Polyolefin Business Unit, the development of special new resins stems from the priority adopted by the company to expand the participation of products with greater added value in its portfolio. "To invest in technology and innovation is part of our commitment to increase the competitiveness of the petrochemical and plastic productive chain," explains Mendonça.

The new patent concerns the development of a new production process for polypropylene and polyethylene nanocomposites through the polymerization reaction obtained directly in the reactors, or in situ, in technical terms. This innovative process, developed by the Braskem Innovation and Technology Center in Triunfo/RS in partnership with the UFRGS, will initially attend to the high performance package segment. This is the case, for example, of packages that require fat barriers or complete sealing to increase the shelf life of products such as coffee and industrialized snacks, preserving their original characteristics, aroma and crunchiness, included.

Another segment that will also be served by this new technology is engineering plastics, very used in the automobile sector and the manufacturing of gears, machine components and industrial equipment, among others. The electro-electronic and household white line appliances will also benefit from the new patent.

Braskem’s first patent in nanotechnology, which was deposited in the Brazilian market in 2005, now gains an international scope. It refers to the development of a polypropylene production process to which nanocomposites are added and it has just been deposited in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) through the PCT - Patent Cooperation Treatment.

With these initiatives, Braskem reaches the mark of 140 patents registered in Brazil and abroad, consolidating its leadership position in the development of new process, product and application technologies in the Brazilian petrochemical sector. Braskem expects to launch its first nanoresin in the country between the end of this year and the beginning of 2007. "The Brazilian and regional markets have a growing demand for high value resins for new applications and soon nanotechnology will be an important source to supply these needs," says Luís Fernando Cassinelli, responsible for the Braskem Innovation and Technology Center.

This center is the most complete and best equipped research and development complex in the Latin American petrochemical industry. With technological assets worth more than R$ 330 million, distributed over seven pilot plants and 14 laboratories, it has a specialized team comprised of 170 researchers and technicians.



Source: Braskem




This story was first posted on 28th July 2006.