BASF - We create chemistry
Baxxodur® epoxy resin system
The future of mobility will be lightweight: the less a car weighs, the more economical it is to drive and the lower its carbon dioxide emissions. Vehicles can shed a lot of weight with the use of new lightweight materials. Our researchers are working on fast-curing epoxy, polyurethane and polyamide resins for fiber-reinforced composites. Compared with components made of metal, these new materials reduce vehicle weight by more than 50 percent. The picture shows the carbon fiber-reinforced Baxxodur® epoxy resin system. These kinds of composites can be used to build large, load-bearing automotive body parts. To produce the composite, fibrous material is soaked with a mixture of epoxy resin and hardener, and then heat-cured. BASF researchers have developed special accelerators for this process. These initially delay the curing reaction, but then speed it up very quickly. This allows the mixture to remain liquefied for longer so the fibers can be moistened and then makes the material harden in just a few minutes. This picture of a component after a material test shows that the carbon fibers remain firmly embedded in the base material. When lightweights go the distance, it’s because at BASF, we create chemistry.
Baxxodur® epoxy resin system
The future of mobility will be lightweight: the less a car weighs, the more economical it is to drive and the lower its carbon dioxide emissions. Vehicles can shed a lot of weight with the use of new lightweight materials. Our researchers are working on fast-curing epoxy, polyurethane and polyamide resins for fiber-reinforced composites. Compared with components made of metal, these new materials reduce vehicle weight by more than 50 percent. The picture shows the carbon fiber-reinforced Baxxodur® epoxy resin system. These kinds of composites can be used to build large, load-bearing automotive body parts. To produce the composite, fibrous material is soaked with a mixture of epoxy resin and hardener, and then heat-cured. BASF researchers have developed special accelerators for this process. These initially delay the curing reaction, but then speed it up very quickly. This allows the mixture to remain liquefied for longer so the fibers can be moistened and then makes the material harden in just a few minutes. This picture of a component after a material test shows that the carbon fibers remain firmly embedded in the base material. When lightweights go the distance, it’s because at BASF, we create chemistry.