Aug 13 2008
Mr. LuVerne E.W. Hogg, President and CEO of ZEOX Corporation, is very pleased to announce that the Company's subsidiary, ZEOX Performance Materials, LLC under the leadership of Chief Technology Officer, Dr. David Chaiko, and his scientific team have developed a new class of surfactant technology based on a newly developed molecular structure known as Lipotrope®. Surfactants are surface active agents required in the chemical processing of many industrial products.
Based in Tucson, Arizona, the business of ZPM is the commercialization of new high-tech products utilizing nanostructured materials for coatings, nanoparticle reinforced composites, and nanostructured polymers. Considered new cutting edge business opportunities for the 21st century, nanotechnology involves the engineering of functional systems and products at a molecular level with sizes generally in the range of one-billionth of a meter. ZEOX holds a 59% interest in ZPM.
The novel structures of the new Lipotrope® molecules and their use is the subject of several ZPM patent applications in the United States. The molecular architecture of this new development represents a major technology departure from current products offered by the world's leading surfactant manufacturers. The materials will be sold worldwide under the trade name Lipotrope® and are expected to find broad industrial applications including the dispersion of water-soluble dyes and other additives into plastics and as key components in the production of high-performance polymer nanocomposites. This emerging technology will strengthen ZPM's intellectual property position in nanotechnology and broaden its product opportunities.
Lipotrope® will improve the efficiency of polymer additives, including pigments and stabilizers. Lipotrope® surfactants can so effectively modify the surfaces of silicate minerals that enhance dispersion to be readily achieved in hydrophobic polymers, such as polyethylene and polypropylene homopolymers. These "exfoliated" composites provide next generation performance for advanced materials and coatings. These Lipotrope surfactants are applied through a solid-state process, thereby reducing processing costs, process complexity and environmental impact. This exciting technology development has evolved from over 20 years of research at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago and ZPM.
ZEOX is an early stage development company whose ambition is to become a leading supplier of distinctive, high-performance zeolites sourced from unique, natural deposits in North America. With special mining and separation technology, ZEOX produces high purity zeolites and silica materials which are further enhanced via proprietary processing for superior catalytic and surface active properties. ZEOX products are used in the polymer, chemical, petrochemical materials, and the environmental service industries. Applications include water treatment, natural gas separation, air purification, oilfield drilling cements, construction materials and polymer composites.