(Right: Bayer board member Wolfgang Plischke and German research minister Thomas Rachel pose with a model and a sample of carbon nanotubes. Photo courtesy of Bayer MaterialScience)

The company has invested €22m in the facility planning, development and construction, the largest of its kind in the world with an annual capacity of 200 metric tons, creating 20 new jobs. Bayer MaterialScience looks to gain a head start in supplying for a whole host of applications for multi-wall carbon nanotubes, which the company is marketing under the trade name Baytubes.

Nanocyl, with a division in the US and opening an operation in Korea, notes that the Asia-Pacific market for its nanotubes is covered through a network of partners in South Korea, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and China.

NRC will act as distributor for a range of natural and chemical raw materials, additives, and chemical specialties, with subsidiaries representing globally active raw material producers in Germany, Austria, Central and Eastern Europe as well as Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Portugal.

Dr. Joachim Wolff, member of Bayer MaterialScience’s Executive Committee and head of the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties segment says "Current forecasts predict an annual growth rate of 25% for carbon nanotubes. Within ten years, the market is expected to be worth US$ 2bn, We are also expecting nanotechnology to create a total of 100,000 new jobs in the German industry in the medium term."

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the world’s leading nanotechnology locations. By opening the new facility, Bayer MaterialScience is once again demonstrating its commitment to Leverkusen and the industrial location of North Rhine-Westphalia.

"This project is evidence of the strength of our site here in Leverkusen. We have an outstanding infrastructure, easy access to raw material and power supplies, sophisticated waste management technology and a highly qualified workforce, including specialists," says Dr. Steffen Kühling, head of Production and Technology in the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties segment of Bayer MaterialScience. 



Bayer MaterialScience is one of the few companies capable of manufacturing CNTs of a consistently high quality on an industrial scale. It has been operating a pilot facility with an annual capacity of 60 metric tons in Laufenburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg since 2007. CNTs are manufactured from ethylene in a reactor at an elevated temperature using a catalytic process.

"Under the right conditions, the next few years will see nanotechnology becoming a powerful branch of industry in Germany, offering attractive job prospects, innovative products and competitive solutions," states Kühling. 

Baytubes are an innovative modification of carbon. They can be added to polymer matrices or metal systems as a filler or modifier to improve their mechanical strength and impart electrical properties. Potential applications for include thermoplastic and thermoset systems and coatings.

When used in coatings for ships, they ensure very high abrasion resistance. At the same time they reduce the flow resistance between the ship's hull and the water, resulting in a significant reduction in fuel consumption. Further applications for carbon nanotubes include rotor blades for wind turbines, and sports equipment such as skis, hockey sticks and surfboards.

"Nanotechnology is a cross-sectional technology which can play a role in a variety of different industries and application areas. Its potential uses range from industrial production to energy supply and storage, from information technology to intelligent surfaces, and also to some areas of medicine, like diagnosis or therapy," explains Wolff.