Specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG has developed a polymer additive for plastics and rubber that is now available for industrial application. These microgels, which consist of nanoscale organic particles, can be used to improve the material properties of elastomer and thermoplastic materials.

In the course of the product's many years of development, the LANXESS Technical Rubber Products and Rhein Chemie business units worked together closely and have applied for numerous patents. These cover the processing method, the use of nanoparticles in rubber mixtures and the impact on thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. After close co-operation between Rhein Chemie company and the Japanese tire manufacturer Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. the first major series application of the rubber additive is in the production of winter tires. These tires boast excellent dry and wet road grip, without the tire rubber hardening on contact with snow or ice.