Development of high-performance materials in response to megatrends

The presence of Syensqo at the K 2025 marked the company’s commitment to provide solutions to the megatrends. High-performance materials aimed at responding to the demands of today’s various industries were highlighted at the company’s booth. International Plastics News for Asia was able to talk to Mr. Andrew Lau, Senior Executive Vice President, Electronics & Industrial, Specialty Polymers GBU, Syensqo where he discussed the target markets of Syensqo’s newly launched products and the benefits to the manufacturers who demand special properties in order to produce high-quality products.

Andrew Lau, Senior Executive Vice President, Electronics & Industrial, Specialty Polymers GBU, Syensqo. 

What are the solutions that you highlighted at K 2025 and their target applications? 

Mr. Lau: At K 2025, Syensqo presented solutions for four megatrends: powering electrification, advancing digitalization, enriching life and extending lifetime. Applications span e-motors, compressors, healthcare implants, bikes, semiconductors, electronic components and structural parts for consumer devices, advanced components for hydrogen technologies and a hydrogen-powered plane model.

To support the advancing digitalization trend, we offer materials for high-performance semiconductors and next-generation consumer electronic devices. With novel specialty polymers engineered for efficiency and sustainability, our portfolio meets the demands of modern digital infrastructure, miniaturized components and immersive consumer technologies.

Our recently introduced Tecnoflon® FFKM NFS is the market-first commercial perfluoroelastomer made without the use of fluorosurfactants, and demonstrates our commitment to meet the market’s call for performance and sustainability. I would also like to highlight the latest innovation for the consumer electronics industry: Kalix® LD-4850 BK000. This new high-performance polyamide (HPPA) is designed to meet the growing demand for lighter, slimmer, and more comfortable electronic devices.  We also presented two medical grade products, Solef® PVDF Medical Grade and Amodel® PPA Medical Grade

For Green Hydrogen technology, we demonstrated an Alkaline Electrolyzer Frame, the cell frame is a large and important component of the electrolyzer system. It plays a key role in fluid and thermal management, prevents gas mixing, protects the electrochemical components, and facilitates stack assembly. Cell frames must be constructed from materials that can withstand the harsh conditions of the electrolysis process.

Please discuss Syensqo’s product portfolio for the semiconductor industry and its benefits. 

Mr. Lau:  The launch of Tecnoflon® FFKM NFS marks a major milestone for both Syensqo and the broader advanced materials industry. It is a clear demonstration of Syensqo’s commitment to leading the industry with sustainable innovation and it also aligns with our broader goal to phase out fluorosurfactants across all product lines, setting a new industry standard for sustainable manufacturing.

Our industry-leading Tecnoflon® FFKM NFS portfolio includes grades specifically designed for different uses in semiconductor seals and O-rings applications. Early in March this year, we introduced the market-first nitrile curable grades in the Tecnoflon® FFKM NFS portfolio that are specially engineered to expand Syensqo’s successful FFKM offerings for semiconductor manufacturing and other highly demanding markets, such as transportation, energy and industrial applications.  

In June, we also expanded the portfolio by launching new peroxide curable grades for semiconductor general purposes and wet process applications. And In October at the K show, we introduced the new high-temperature grade for dry etch processes reliably operating above 320°C.   With these different new grades in our innovative Tecnoflon® FFKM NFS portfolio, Syensqo continues to bring values to our customers while prioritizing advancements in the shared sustainability goals.

At K 2025, Syensqo presented solutions for four megatrends: powering electrification, advancing digitalization, enriching life and extending lifetime.

Syensqo also launched Kalix® LD-4850, low-density high-performance polyamide (HPPA) developed to address the evolving demands of the consumer electronics industry. Kalix® LD-4850 enables manufacturers to achieve substantial lightweighting of structural components in devices such as smartphones, AR/VR headsets, and other smart electronics. The new grade delivers over 30% weight reduction compared to conventional structural polyamides and polycarbonates, while maintaining excellent mechanical strength and premium surface aesthetics.

Engineered for applications where reduced weight is essential—such as brackets, frames, speaker housings, and AR/VR glass legs—Kalix® LD-4850 combines high stiffness and strength with minimal warpage and low dielectric properties. This unique balance supports the development of slimmer, lighter, and more comfortable devices, in line with current hardware trends.  With Kalix® LD-4850, Syensqo is empowering our customers to redefine what’s possible in consumer electronics design. By enabling significant weight reduction without sacrificing durability or visual appeal, this new HPPA grade helps manufacturers meet consumer expectations for portability and performance. Kalix® LD-4850 BK000 is now commercially available worldwide and has already been adopted by leading smartphone manufacturers.

Syensqo has also launched a new medical-grade Solef® polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) designed for advanced healthcare and biopharmaceutical applications. This new grade combines the chemical inertness, thermal stability, and key biocompatibility requirements for reliable use in biopharmaceutical processing and medical applications. With over 30 years of proven performance in demanding industries, with unmatched purity and resistance in harsh environments, Solef® PVDF is well-suited for medical applications such as fluid management systems, in vitro diagnostics, and single-use surgical instruments, where consistent strength and stability are essential. Medical-grade Solef® PVDF offers customers a high-performance, biocompatible material to help bring forward the medical technologies of tomorrow. 

Another medical-grade is Amodel® polyphthalamide (PPA), a glass-filled polymer engineered for advanced single-use medical devices, delivering exceptional heat resistance, robust electrical properties, and key biocompatibility requirements for limited contact duration medical applications.

Amodel® PPA features a high melting point above 300°C and maintains mechanical strength at temperatures up to 280 °C. These properties make it ideal for demanding manufacturing processes such as surface-mount technology (SMT) assembly, infrared (IR) reflow, and metal overmolding. The material is particularly well-suited for electrosurgical instruments and electronic device assemblies, where complex, injection-molded geometries offer advantages over alternative materials.

In “enriching life” area, consumer goods is a focus, and I would especially like to share a baby bottle and lifestyle bottle made of Duradex™ PPSU, Duradex™ PPSU is an amorphous, naturally amber-transparent polymer that lends bottles an inherently non-stick, and highly stain- and scratch-resistant surface. It provides exceptional hydrolytic stability, shatter-proof toughness and heat resistance up to 180°C for more than 1,000 steam or hot water sterilization cycles. The high-purity PPSU does not absorb any odors and is free of artificial pigments as well as phthalates and bisphenols, ensuring a safe and healthy experience. This high-purity food-contact polymer is produced with 38% certified circular1 feedstock, attributed by mass balance and verified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS regime. Notably, the high-purity PPSU material does not absorb any odors and is free of artificial pigments as well as phthalates and bisphenols, ensuring a safe and healthy feeding experience.

How were you able to develop these new high-performance material solutions?

Mr. Lau: This achievement is the result of significant investments in research and development (R&D), as well as deep technical expertise in advanced materials for demanding applications such as seals and O-rings in semiconductor manufacturing.

Our R&D in China is located in Shanghai, where we develop and customize our products to meet the needs of our customers in China and the Asia Pacific region. In particular, we have an advanced material application development lab (ADL) in China, aiming at responding to local market needs more rapidly and providing tailored high-performance material solutions for customers. The lab is established to meet the growing demand for new application development in various Chinese key industries such as automotive, new energy, life solutions, smart devices and semiconductors, etc.

How do you see the future directions for Syensqo?

Mr. Lau: Looking ahead, we see artificial intelligence as a powerful accelerator of this innovation journey. Through our Syensqo.AI platform and partnership with Microsoft, we are integrating AI into every step of research and product development — from accelerating polymer discovery to enabling self-driving experimentation. These AI-driven tools are already helping our scientists surface insights faster, design smarter experiments, and shorten innovation cycles, all while ensuring data security and IP protection.

At K 2025, we hosted a panel titled "Shaping the Future of Science: AI as the Catalyst for Scientific Breakthroughs". Moderated by our CTIO Mike Finelli, it featured leading voices from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Schrödinger and Citrine Informatics. The session aimed to showcase how  we are putting AI to work in building the future of sustainable chemistry.

- This article also appears in the International Plastics News for Asia December 2025 issue.