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Pebax Rnew bags Pierre Potier Prize

02 Jul '08

2 min read

The Pierre Potier Prize, created in 2006 on the initiative of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, rewards every year chemical manufacturers who engage in innovation at the service of sustainable development.

Arkema this year has been awarded the top prize for Pebax Rnew, the first thermoplastic high performance elastomer with a renewable carbon content of up to 95%.

With its long-standing experience spanning some sixty years, Arkema is the world leader in castor oil chemistry from which Rilsan 11 is obtained, the only high performance polyamide entirely derived from a renewable raw material.

The Pebax Rnew range of thermoplastic elastomers rewarded by the Pierre Potier 2008 Prize is directly derived from this chemistry, which is characterized by smaller fossil energy needs and fewer CO2¹ emissions.

Accordingly, Pebax Rnew naturally fits in with the eco-design approach adopted by a large number of industrial sectors, e.g. electronics, medical, sports and automotive, for their high added value products.

Pebax Rnew: outstanding properties:
Pebax Rnew features in particular far superior mechanical properties than competitive materials, as well as excellent resistance to termal ageing and ultra-violet rays.

Pebax Rnew also stands out by a remarkable dynamic behavior whereby it dissipates less energy than other materials of a similar hardness, a characteristic which is reflected in excellent resistance to flexural and tensile stress. Pebax Rnew therefore affords an unrivalled compromise between rigidity and cold mechanical strength.

Countless applications for Pebax Rnew:
Pebax Rnew has countless applications in many industrial sectors. It is present, for example, in car interiors, in particular in airbag components.

It can be sterilized, and so is used in the manufacture of medical equipment, in particular dressings and catheters. Electronic equipment manufacturers capitalize on its outstanding properties for the manufacture of mobile phones and laptop computers. Leading sports brands use Pebax Rnew for its light weight, sturdiness, and shock absorbency.

Pebax Rnew already approved for Scarpa ski boots and Mizuno running shoes Close cooperation between Arkema's R&D teams and those of Italian skiing equipment manufacturer Scarpa has led to the development of Scarpa's new Hurricane long-distance ski boot, now much in demand.

The properties of Pebax Rnew benefit not just winter sports, but many other sports disciplines too. Running is a prime example, with the new Wave shoe from the Japanese brand Mizuno which will use Pebax Rnew for the sole of its shoes.

Arkema Inc

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