On October 25th, Dr. Denis Bortzmeyer, director of the R&D Center of ARKEMA in Changshu, gave a conference at ICARE on “New Materials Applied to Market of Renewable Energy”.
Dr. Bortzmeyer first introduces ARKEMA activities which split into three business segments: High Performance Materials, Industrial Specialties and Coating Solutions. High Performance Materials segment gathers 4 product lines: Specialty polyamides, Fluoropolymers (PVDF), aremolecular sieves for filtration and adsorption and organic peroxides. Industrial Specialties segment produces major chemical intermediates such as thiochemicals (for animal nutrition, gas natural odorant), fluorochemicals (for refrigeration, air conditioning, blowing agent for insulating foam), PMMA (or arcylic glass for furnitures, automotive applications, noise barriers), and hydrogen peroxide (pulp and textile bleaching, chemical synthesis, water treatment). Coating materials and technologies includes powder coating resins and additives, rheology additives for waterborne coatings and photocure resins for optic fibers, graphic arts, electronics, etc.
Then Dr. Bortzmeyer explained how, through its development of polymers and components specifically designed for lithium-ion batteries, the Arkema group is providing energy storage specialists with effective solutions.Research is also being conducted on the future generations of batteries which will use new materials for the electrodes, e.g. carbon nanotubes. In addition to improving the electrical conductivity of electrodes, these nanomaterials increase the mechanical resistance, which is strongly challenged during each charging/recharging cycle. As a result, the performance and lifetime of lithium-ion batteries are optimized.
After answering many questions from the audience, Dr. Bortzmeyer also said a few words about the engineer profiles his R&D center is presently looking for in order to significantly strengthen its presence in China within the coming years.
Dr. Bortzmeyer also visited, in company of professor SHEN Qiwen from HUST and Wuhan Binhu Mechanical and Electrical Co., the Rapid Prototyping Center of the Die & Mould Technology State Key Laboratory in School of Materials Science.
Biography of Dr. Denis Bortzmeyer
Dr. Bortzmeyer graduated from both Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines de Paris. He then worked for his PhD in continuum mechanics of ceramic powders at Ecole des Mines de Paris (1990).
He worked ten years with the chemical group Rhône-Poulenc (ceramics, catalysts supports...) and during this time got his habilitation to supervise research (granular material rheology and continuum mechanics, 1996). In 1999 he joined Atochem, now Arkema, where he performed various R&D management functions in Atochem’s research centers. From 2005 to 2012 he was Head of Partnerships in the R&D Direction of Arkema: this position supervises all collaborative R&D programs and partnerships, between Arkema and academic laboratories or other private companies.
