After the initial presentation of SLENTITETM at K 2013, the world’s biggest plastics fair, last fall in Düsseldorf, the new high-performance insulating material has now been presented to the scientific media.
SLENTITE is an organic, polyurethane-based aerogel that owes its special product properties to its nano-porous structure. Adopting a new chemical approach to high-performance insulating materials, the research team of Dr. Marc Fricke, Advanced Materials & Systems Research, is now presenting SLENTITE – a product that not only features extra-low thermal conductivity, but is also available for the first time as a solid panel. It thus permits insulation 25 to 50 percent slimmer than conventional materials for the same insulation performance. At the same time, thanks to its open-porous structure, the panel has outstanding moisture regulation properties. For architects and house builders, SLENTITE therefore offers a high degree of design freedom, be it in the modernization of old buildings or the construction of new ones.
Consultation with customers optimizes product design
Since the product’s first presentation at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the pilot plant and at K 2013, the new insulating material has generated huge interest. “We have talked a great deal to companies of the construction and refrigerator industries who have been a tremendous help in the on-going optimization of the product’s properties,” said Dr. Nils Mohmeyer, New Market Development. “These early and direct consultations have also given us a better understanding of the requirements of the insulation market as a whole,” Mohmeyer adds. BASF can thus offer a product that is tailored directly to the needs of target groups while also being energy-efficient. SLENTITE offers an ideal combination of low thermal conductivity and an open porous structure, thus offering excellent insulation values as well as a good room climate.
Pilot plant due for completion at the beginning of 2015
The next step will be the full-scale commissioning of the pilot plant in Lemförde at the beginning of 2015. With the first sample quantities, innovative projects can be jointly realized with selected partners from industry and architecture. “Our new product has successfully accomplished the transition from the laboratory to the outside world,” said Dr. Friedhelm Lehrich, Vice President Business Management Construction. “The future of building construction faces many challenges. With such an innovative product as SLENTITE, we want to help to solve some of these problems by piloting novel applications with our project partners and successfully launching them on the market.”
Further information on the product: www.slentite.com
Source: http://www.basf.com