Oct 7 2010
Arkema has announced the acquisition of French company PIEZOTECH which designs and manufactures electroactive fluorinated polymers, thereby enhancing its portfolio with a new range of ultra high performance materials. These specialty polymers will soon have high added value applications in many sectors, including robotics, aerospace, textile, automotive and electronics.
PIEZOTECH was established following a technology transfer from Institut de Recherche Saint-Louis (1) . It designs and markets films and sensors from electroactive fluorinated polymers and copolymers, all manufactured using a unique process. These polymers have the ability to undergo deformation under an electric current, and conversely they convert a mechanical force into electrical energy. Another of their characteristics is their ability to store and restore energy.
Thanks to the influential scientific standing of Professor Bauer who pioneered PIEZOTECH, the company now boasts global renown in electroactive fluorinated materials. This acquisition will enhance Arkema’s fluorinated copolymers range, building on its recent successes in the fields of materials for energy production and storage and of organic electronics » explains Christian Collette, Arkema Vice President Research & Development.
Arkema’s industrial expertise will allow us to produce larger volumes at a lower cost, giving us access to new applications, in particular in energy storage for the automotive sector. We will also draw on Arkema’s R&D teams to develop a group of even more efficient electroactive fluorinated polymers, namely terpolymers, which are characterized by greater deformation under an electric current, and by an ability to store and restore a large amount of energy. This latest generation of polymers hints at a wide field of applications, e.g. micro-actuators for robotics and aerospace, intelligent textiles, flat loudspeakers, etc. » Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos, Director of PIEZOTECH, is pleased to confirm.
(1) Franco-German Research Institute for Science and Defense, based in Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France.
PIEZOTECH’s fluorinated polymers complement and enhance Arkema’s current extensive range of performance materials, which includes in particular Kynar® fluorinated polymers, Altuglas® PMMA, Rilsan® polyamides, Pebax® thermoplastic elastomers, Nanostrength® and Graphistrength®, nanostructured materials, and OXPEKK® polyether ketone ketone (PEKK).