KEY NOTE: GLOBAL MEGATRENDS - CHANGES AND CHALLENGES FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

摘要

Global Megatrends such as Growing & Aging Population, Urbanization, Energy Demand & Climate Protection, and Globalization affect our daily lives and create new needs and corresponding markets with substantial growth potential. Megatrends are drivers for innovation and stimulate research and development. Sustainability and considerate use of our resources are common nominators for all kinds of development. Against this background, technical options making use of advanced polymeric materials may become one of the most important problem-solvers of the 21~(st) century. Polymers, polymer blends, and compounds with their specific performance profile offer numerous innovative solutions, in line with today's demands. In particular highly flexible shape forming, light weight and a wide spectrum of mechanical properties provide polymers with attractiveness for numerous applications. Furthermore, making use of the ease foamability of polymer systems, access to an additional degree of freedom in the spectrum of properties open up. Along with the steadily increasing requirements for advanced material properties, technological challenges for polymer work-up and processing arise. To mention some examples, complex blend systems with stable morphology, high content of filler at excellent level of dispersion, incorporation of sensitive additives as well ingredients with low bulk density have to be reliably put into practice. And finally, it is crucial to transfer properties from laboratory scale to the level of manufacturing without performance loss and with minimum number of trials. This paper will elucidate the Global Megatrends, show some examples of recent technology & product development work, and address needs for future efforts in research and development.