Outstanding resistance to chemicals

Waterborne two-component polyurethane (PU) coatings are increasingly replacing solventborne systems. And for good reason: They are environment-friendly and satisfy statutory VOC guidelines intended to limit the emission of volatile organic compounds. Thanks to a new polyacrylate dispersion from Bayer MaterialScience, waterborne coatings can now begin replacing their established solventborne counterparts in one of the few domains in which they still dominate: Bayhydrol® A XP 2695 enables coatings that are resistant to graffiti and are perfectly suited for the high-end coating of industrial goods, trains, commercial vehicles and even aircraft thanks to their extraordinary chemical resistance. Furthermore, the coatings formulated with the new waterborne binder are extremely resistant to weathering and very scratch-resistant.

“Coatings formulated with Bayhydrol® A XP 2695 are miles ahead of other waterborne systems with respect to chemical resistance,” says Robert Reyer of Bayer MaterialScience. Adds the expert from the Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants Business Unit: “They even outperform solventborne reference coatings in some tests.” For example, marker pen stains could be more easily and completely removed from panels coated with clearcoats formulated with Bayhydrol® A XP 2695 than from coatings based on established solventborne products. The new polyacrylate dispersion also imparts coatings with excellent resistance to aggressive liquids such as Skydrol® hydraulic fluid.

Extraordinary resistance to chemicals and high scratch resistance are advantageous not only for commercial vehicles and industrial applications, but also for kitchen furniture, whose surfaces are subject to attack from coffee and wine stains, spilled bottles of bleach or disinfectant and sharp objects.

The new binder is ideally suited not only for clearcoats but also for primers and surfacers for the coating of metals, and can also be used to easily formulate coatings that meet the requirements of European VOC legislation.

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2006 sales of EUR 10.2 billion (continuing operations), Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2006, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,900 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.


Find more information at www.bayermaterialscience.com


Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our annual and interim reports to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.