Products & Solutions

Our Markets

Plastics & Rubber

In close collaboration with its customers and partners, Evonik develops products and system solutions for and with plastics. Our spectrum of products and solutions is designed to meet requirements of the Plastics & Rubber market. As a leading global specialty chemicals group Evonik offers products from additives for plastic coatings, catalysts for plasticizers and polyolefins, release and sliding agents for the rubber industry, silica for plastics and thermoplastics or shoe soles VISIOMER® specialty methacrylate crosslinkers provide mechanical, thermal and chemical robustness for a wide range of plastic and rubber products.

Products and Solutions for Plastics & Rubber

Additives for Plastic Coatings

Our additives for plastic coatings provide excellent scratch resistance, soft touch and haptic properties for your plastic coating formulation. Application areas cover coatings for consumer electronics, cosmetic packaging or PVC flooring.

Additives for the Production of PVC

To modify the production process and the formulation of PVC. We offer antifoams, emulsifiers and secondary suspension aids.

Catalysts for building blocks for polymers

By choosing our active and highly selective catalysts, you can optimize selective hydrogenations and oxidations in the production of your polymer precursor, such as alpha-methyl styrene (AMS), olefins, resins, vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), or vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). At the same time, you’ll reduce the amount of unwanted by products

Catalysts for plasticizers

Our hydrogenation catalysts support your economic production of aliphatic plasticizers in line with regulatory and market requirements. Our Noblyst® P type of precious metal powder catalysts are used to hydrogenate aromatic structures to a safer cycloaliphatic compound, thus reducing the toxicity and environmental burden of this class of plasticizer.

Catalysts for polyolefins

Our Catylen® product range consists of key components used for the formulation of PE and PP polymerization catalysts. They decisively contribute to the selectivity and productivity of a catalyst system. The brand name Catylen® comprises support materials (Catylen® S) and donors (Catylen® D) to formulate state-of-the-art Ziegler-Natta catalysts.

Catalysts for polyurethane (PU) precursors

We produce catalysts in all industrially required scales and ensure that their performance remains undiminished in 24/7 continuously operated large-scale plants. Our catalysts are characterized by consistently high activity, selectivity, and batch-to-batch reliably high quality.

DYNASYLAN® for flame-retardant cable formulations

For the reduction of flammability of cables. Hydrated fillers such as ATH achieve their flame retardance by decomposing endothermically, with the release of water close to the temperature at which the polymers themselves decompose. They do not have smoke and corrosive gas problems associated with other types of flame retardants.

Functional organosilanes for mechanical rubber goods

Functional organosilanes contain white fillers and are used in a wide range of products in the rubber industry. They offer a range of improved physical properties and significantly improve processability. The choice of the appropriate silane usually depends on the crosslinking system used.

Performance Intermediates for Plastics & Packaging

Evonik provides intermediates and expertise to solve a wide range of packaging challenges: Our Butadiene and Butene-1 are used in the production of high-quality plastics such as polyethylene and poly(1-butene). Important applications of Butene-1 are packaging materials such as films, bags, and food packaging. Our Butadiene is a key monomer for the production of synthetic rubber or other polymers.

Plastic Additives  

For high-quality masterbatches and liquid colorants by providing an optimum dispersion of the pigments or fillers.

Plastic-Rubber Composites 

Evonik offers specially developed VESTAMID® PA612 molding compounds for the patented plastic-rubber composite process with a strong bonding between the hard and soft component without adhesives.  

Release and Sliding Agents for the Rubber Industry

For an optimal exploitation of the rubber properties, for example automotive rubber hoses, industrial long hoses, molded rubber or window profiles.

Silica for Mechanical Rubber Goods

With rubber silica, mechanical rubber goods (MRG) withstand even the toughest loads. As reinforcing fillers, they improve the tear resistance, dimensional stability and durability of your products.

Silica for Plastics and Thermoplastics

Silica enhances the handling, quality and performance of thermoplastics, polymer compounds, composites and thermoplastic polymers. Our silica makes it easier to process plastics at all times, as they enable powders and granulates to flow freely, as well as prevent caking, even after long storage times. Silica also acts as carriers and process auxiliaries, or control rheology.

Silica for Shoe Soles

Optimize the rubber compounds of your shoe soles with silica. Our silicas have a wide range of uses as reinforcing fillers, whether for increasing resistance to wear, as improving traction – or for modern design as a transparent and/or translucent sole.

Silica for Silicone Rubber

Optimize the desired properties of silicone rubber with silica. Thixotropy, a crucial characteristic when it comes to handling silicone sealing compounds that need to exit the cartridge smoothly and cleanly before curing quickly in the joint. Our AEROSIL® fumed silica enables the viscosity to be adjusted perfectly.

Silica for Unsaturated Polyester Resins

Silica enables you to process unsaturated polyester resins in the best possible way. Our silica guarantees effective thickening and adjust the thixotropy of the resins perfectly.

Silica/Silane-System in Tires

Substituting carbon black with the silica/silane system in tread compounds in combination with a special polymer blend leads to significant improvements in rolling resistance and wet traction. Compared to tread compounds filled with carbon black, lower fuel consumption and higher driving safety can be achieved.

VESTENAMER® Rubber Additive 

VESTENAMER® is a semicrystalline rubber. As a polymeric processing aid, it acts as a plasticizer of rubber compounds in mixing and manufacturing processes. In the vulcanization of rubber parts, it participates in crosslinking and, as an elastomer, is fully incorporated into the network. 

VISIOMER® Specialty Methacrylates for Plastics & Rubber

VISIOMER® Specialty Methacrylate crosslinkers provide mechanical, thermal and chemical robustness for a wide range of plastic and rubber products like artificial marble, plastisols, impact modifiers and cable jackets. VISIOMER® Terra products carry up to 90% biobased raw materials and reduce the carbon footprint of plastic products.

How our products work

Catalysts support your economic production of aliphatic plasticizers in line with regulatory and market requirements. Plasticizers are commonly added to polymers, such as plastics and rubbers, to facilitate handling during production or meet the end product's application demands. They make the raw material softer and more flexible, increase its plasticity and decrease viscosity or friction. Moreover, we produce catalysts in all industrially required scales and ensure that their performance remains undiminished in 24/7 continuously operated large-scale plants. We are your flexible and expert global partner when it comes to catalysts to produce PU precursors. Depending on the reaction type and conditions, our experienced application engineering team will find the right catalyst for your process and provide specific technical support, from in-house application testing to elucidation of the deactivation mechanism and specific application questions. 

Silica is used in various applications in this market. Silica enhance the handling, quality and performance of thermoplastics, polymer compounds, composites and thermoplastic polymers. When used as additives, our silica make it easier to process plastics at all times, as they enable powders and granulates to flow freely, as well as prevent caking, even after long storage times. They also act as carriers and process auxiliaries, or control rheology. In addition, silica optimize the rubber compounds of shoe soles and ensure high abrasion and flex resistance on soles that are submitted to high constraints and a lot of strain, such as long-distance running shoes and military boots. Silica also work as thickening agents to process unsaturated polyester resins in the best possible way. Silica help control the viscosity of unsaturated polyester resins and attain the desired thixotropy effect, so that the resins can be processed perfectly. 

VISIOMER® methacrylate monomers are used to produce a wide variety of plastics and rubber. Most popular are artificial marble, PVC plastisols and as co-agents for rubber crosslinking. Molding compounds based on PMMA or unsaturated polyester resins may also contain multifunctional methacrylates as crosslinking agents.