Our Electronics and Performance Materials customers rely on our materials science and surface chemistry expertise to make their products—and to make them better.

Natural Surfactants for a Cleaner Clean

More of our industrial and institutional cleaning customers are seeking greener formulations, requesting surfactants for cleaning products that are made from renewable raw materials. In response, we launched our Tomadol® surfactants derived from palm or coconut oil. These natural surfactants are efficient, have good cleaning performance and are environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional synthetic surfactants, which are petroleum oil-based.

Energy-Efficient Photovoltaics

Photovoltaic (PV) solar cell capacity is growing at more than 30% per year, with manufacturers producing a module with surface areas measured in square meters and with active layer thickness of only a few microns. Having worked to improve thin film processes for decades, we have the experience to serve the growing PV market and help customers drive efficiency and reduce their costs.

Low/Zero-VOC Coatings Solutions

Legislation and a variety of environmental drivers have led to the need for low or zero volatile organic compound (VOC) formulations in architectural and industrial coatings. Through our performance solutions business, we take this need into account in every new product development project we undertake for our customers. For example, our Carbowet® surfactants have become cost-effective replacements for alkylphenol ethoxylates and nonylphenol ethoxylates, wetting agents which are seen as endocrine disrupters. These surfactants contain no phenolic compounds and are biodegradable.

Performance Products for Water-based Coatings and Construction

Requirements for low or reduced odor, enhanced worker safety, environmental friendliness, and lower emissions have driven the coatings and construction markets to eliminate solvents and volatile organic compounds from their formulations. At the same time, end users are not willing to compromise on cost and performance. With this in mind, we’ve commercialized solvent-free and waterborne epoxy hardeners for industrial metal, concrete coatings and floorings that outperform traditional systems from both a functionality and cost-in-use perspective.

Friendlier Foam We continue to develop new additives for rigid foam to help customers produce safer blowing agents consistent with the Montreal Protocol and with insulating properties that help reduce energy loss. We also provide a variety of non-fugitive additives that reduce our customers’ facility and product emissions when manufacturing flexible foam. Expanding Lithium Ion Battery Boundaries As the world continues to go wireless and the demand for clean fuel alternatives increases, advances in battery technology are providing important energy solutions. In particular, lithium ion batteries are seeing high growth in multiple portable power applications and are critical for hybrid electric vehicle technology. Our StabiLife™ fluorinated electrolyte salts significantly improve the thermal and chemical stability of large-scale lithium ion batteries, providing long-term storage and operational life over a wide range of operating temperatures.

HELPING TO MAKE FABS GREENER Materials Use of our flagship chamber cleaning product, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3 ), instead of perfluorocarbon gases (PFCs) to clean PECVD chambers has reduced emissions of global warming gases by more than 90% over the past decade. We also supply other environmentally preferable etching and chamber gases, such as C4F6. Our Trans-LC™ (dichloroethylene) material is the leading ozone-safe liquid chlorine source for silicon oxidation and tube cleaning and addresses the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. Our new wafer cleaning chemistries help minimize wastes from the semiconductor manufacturing process. Equipment/Delivery Systems Electronic gases are delivered in reusable containers that are refilled after being returned by our customers. The majority of residual product in the returned container is recycled. Our supply chain has transitioned to bulk supply of major products, significantly reducing the number of individual containers in transit and at customer sites, reducing the carbon footprint through less frequent deliveries, and improving product consistency and safety. Services We developed analytical methods over 15 years ago for measuring emissions from semiconductor processes. These methods have been used for CVD chamber clean process optimization, significantly reducing both costs and emissions of global warming gases. Since 1998, our global team of specialists has successfully optimized over 100 different processes for more than 20 customers worldwide. We provide turnkey operation services for hazardous materials handling at customer sites, minimizing the potential for contact with potentially harmful substances. This has resulted in an average 93% reduction in incidents per container change since 1998. We are working with the U.S. EPA to help develop an analytical protocol for measuring the effectiveness of commercially available abatement units at eliminating PFC emissions from semiconductor processing effluent streams. We provide extensive training in the handling of specialty gases and liquids for our customers, communities and government emergency response organizations worldwide, including on-site courses and an extensive online library.