Arkema France

Arkema is a French chemical company with a turnover of 8.8 B€ and 20000 employees worldwide. The company is a global supplier of chemical specialties. High performance material sales generates 46% of its turnover. Moreover, Arkema is a global leader in high performance bio-based polyamides. Its R&D facilities are mainly located in France.

Arkema has an expertise in designing polymers for technical applications. Modifying polymer compositions using a tool box of monomers, but also by graft polymerization, in order to satisfy technical requirements of new applications, is the daily work of the company‘s R&D staff.

Polyamide-block-ether copolymers (PEBAX®) are developed and manufactured mainly for the sport, medical, building and electronic markets. Copolymers have been designed for breathable films used in medical or building applications, when water permeation is needed and has to be controlled. Some of these copolymers are mainly bio-based. Arkema has recently developed new hydrophilic materials for water filtration membranes with higher flow rate. Its expertise in polymer modification for adjusting permeation of gas or liquids has led to sales in numerous applications in the building, automotive and filtration industrial sectors.