Bayer MaterialScience LLC Scientist Showcases Benefits of New DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 Polyurethane Dispersion


Bayer MaterialScience LLC at the Adhesives & Sealants Council Spring Meeting:

Austin, Texas, April 7, 2009 - Visitors to the 2009 ASC Spring Meeting will learn that Bayer MaterialScience's new DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 polyurethane dispersion will enable them to combine the environmental advantages of a water-based sealant with the superior physical properties of a polyurethane resin in a new, high-performance water-based sealant.

Dr. Jay A. Johnston, senior associate scientist, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, will detail the formulation of sealants with customized physical properties utilizing DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 dispersions during his presentation: Polyurethane Dispersions in Sealant Applications.

Johnston will present his research during the Education Session titled Sealants: Improving Performance, scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 7.

According to Johnston, low-VOC water-based sealants prepared from acrylic resins have long been available in the commercial market. Considered environmentally friendly because they are water based, these sealants usually have less desirable physical properties when compared with sealants formulated with reactive chemistries. These less desirable properties include lower tensile strength, lower tear resistance, less elasticity, poorer environmental resistance, and a tendency to shrink during cure.
However, a sealant formulated with the DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 dispersion demonstrates physical properties similar to a reactive sealant, despite being water-based, according to Johnston's work. And, his research also shows that adjusting the filler, plasticizer and resin ratios enables further fine tuning of the physical properties of the final sealant. Thus, he was able to prepare low modulus, highly elastic sealants from formulations containing higher levels of resin and plasticizer.

"The physical properties of sealants formulated with DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 dispersions exceed those of existing commercial acrylic sealants," said Johnston. "The environmentally friendly high-performance water-based sealant provides better tear-resistance, increased strength at low temperatures, good UV resistance and excellent adhesion to several substrates."

During his presentation Johnston will discuss other areas of interest when preparing sealants from DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699 dispersions including:
o Initial physical properties,
o Physical properties versus temperature,
o Physical properties after water exposure,
o Physical properties over time,
o Adhesion to various substrates, and
o UV stability.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,100 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2008 sales of 9.7 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries.

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2008 net sales of approximately 8 billion euros (about $12 billion) and employed 17,000 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability. For more information, go to www.bayerus.com.

Contact:
Thomas Erdner, Phone: 412-777-5200
E-mail: thomas.erdner@bayerbms.com

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience's DISPERCOLL® U XP 2699, call 1-800-662-2927, e-mail naftainfo@bayerbms.com or visit www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.

All Topics