‘Innovations without chemistry are like economic growth without Asia,’ so says Dr. Stefan Marcinowski, Member of the Board of Executive Directors at BASF.

IN the simplest of analogies, yet perhaps the most succinct, The Lotus Plant represents the core of this technology – Water and dirt roll off the surface without a trace. And this is precisely the reason why The Lotus plant stands as the symbol for BASF’s Research Centre. The potential for nanotechnology is enormous. This is where Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Engineering and Mathematics converge to create solutions so powerful that they will enhance quality of life, safety and health.

Nanostructured research and expertise will develop new materials, surfaces and formulations that adhere to the right processes. Such materials are used in products like coatings, dispersions and plastics. These vastly improved products then become the basis for a wide variety of other products. Nanotechnology has great potential for delivering environmentally sound, energy saving and resource conserving products and processes.

Take BASF’s Col.9 for instance. It is one such fine example of products using Nanotechnology. After a while exterior paints look dirty, and require elaborate cleaning. To get around this imbroglio, Col.9 incorporates binders with nanoparticles. In this tiny inorganic silica particles are uniformly set into organic polymer particles within an aqueous dispersion. After this formulation dries, it forms a uniform 3D network which ensures an extremely hard surface that hardens at low temperatures. Virtually no dirt adheres to a surface coated with Col.9.