Solvay materials headed to aerospace interior applications

Materials maker Solvay will supply its specialty Solef resins to Zotefoams for aerospace applications.

Solvay of Brussels will provide Solef-brand polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resins for aerospace foam that United Kingdom-based Zotefoams makes and sells under the Zotek brand name. In a news release, officials said that the collaboration will target aerospace interior applications such as ducting, carpet underlay, environmental control systems and insulation. In those applications, low weight, high flame retardancy and cost-effective processability are needed, they added.

"This agreement marks the starting point of a collaborative partnership towards supply security, quality and innovation," Solvay materials executive vice president Marc Doyle said. "It opens exciting new perspectives for weight reduction as well as noise and vibration management for interior components."

Solef is inherently flame retardant and already has a history of proven success in various markets, including fast growing lithium-ion batteries for automotive, officials said. Zotefoams high performance products director James Bridges said that PVDF foam "is the ideal material for a multitude of applications in air and spacecraft interiors."

"As the commercial aviation sector strives to meet stringent carbon reduction targets, the lightweighting capabilities of Zotek are more in demand than ever," he added.

Globally, Solvay has almost 100 production sites and employs more than 23,000. The firm is in the process of splitting into two companies, including one named Syensqo that will include Solvay's plastics businesses.

Zotefoams of Croydon, England, is a world leader in cellular materials technology. The firm sells its products into multiple markets, including insulation and barrier packaging.

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