Effects to Improve the Quality of Life: Color, Performance and Protection from Ciba Specialty Chemicals

Abstract

Ciba Specialty Chemicals creates effects to improve the quality of life. Building on its technical competencies, the company has developed major innovative product groups that provide color, performance and protection. Antioxidants and light stabilizers protect plastics, coatings, photographic pictures and wood from degradation induced by sunlight, air, ozone, heat, fire and mechanical stress. UV absorbers protect human skin from sunburn and photo-induced ageing. Pigments and dyes add beautiful colors to objects of everyday life, serve as recording media for optical information storage on digital versatile discs (DVDs) and are used as color filters in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Effect pigments allow creation of color and visual effects by interference. Polymeric flocculants are essential components for solid–liquid separation processes in wastewater treatment and paper production. Photolatent catalysts are key components for light-induced polymerization reactions. New sterically hindered N-alkoxyamines are initiators for nitroxide mediated radical polymerization (NMP) reactions leading to new pigment dispersants with well-defined molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distribution. New N-acyloxyamines are proposed as peroxide substitutes for controlled degradation of high molecular weight polypropylene. A new clarifier can be used to produce polypropylene with enhanced transparency and excellent mechanical properties. Progress in enabling sciences such as nanotechnology and biotechnology together with new technologies entering the markets will offer outstanding opportunities for new developments in specialty chemicals.

A replicated investigation of nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of styrene over a range of reaction conditions

“…Controlled radical polymerization (CRP) allows the production of well‐defined polymeric materials with controlled architecture. It is anticipated that new products via CRP will be introduced in the market within the next several years (Rutsch and Cech, 2007). Nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) is one of the three currently most popular approaches towards controlled radical polymerization.…”

Post‐polymerization modification by nitroxide radical coupling

“…Pfaendner and Rutsch and Cech reported the use of N ‐acyloxyamines that, on the basis of quantum calculations, have a weaker N–OCOMe bond (37.7 kcal mol −1 ) than the NO–COMe bond (48.1 kcal mol −1 ); thus the thermal cleavage of N ‐acyloxyamines should produce aminyl and acyloxy radicals (Scheme ).…”

“…The thermal reversibility of nitroxide-carbon-centered radical was also exploited in the controlled degradation of PP or in the controlled grafting of MA on PP. 113,114 Indeed, in this way some authors hypothesized that it is possible to functionalize or control the degradation of PP in the absence of peroxide. Obviously this possibility is interesting from the perspective of handling, safety and improved product quality.…”

Novel Thione-Thiol Rearrangement of Dithiocarbonic Acid O-(2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl) Ester in the Context of Controlled Radical Polymerization

“…Recently, the TMP-N-alkoxyamines emerged as environmentally friendly halogen-free flame retardants for plastics. [1] The next opportunity to further develop the TMP chemistry and expand it beyond the aforementioned applications appeared with invention of controlled/living radical polymerization (CRP) [2,3] some 20 years ago. From the different CRP techniques known, the nitroxide-mediated controlled/living radical polymerization (NMP) [4] was the most attractive for Ciba to pursue because the initiators/regulators for NMP are N-alkoxyamines and nitroxides which belong to the Ciba's core competence.…”