Chemtura Corporation (Philadelphia, PA) has created a new Center of Excellence for its Polybond coupling agent and Royaltuf impact modifier product development, incorporating compounding and analysis laboratories, application development and technical support teams, at the company's Morgantown, West Virginia facility.

The state-of-the-art facility becomes the center of excellence for research and development of new polymer modifiers, for optimization of existing products and formulations, and for process development to enhance productivity and improve product quality.

The compounding laboratory is operated by  process engineers who are able to process samples large and small using a broad range of extruders and mixers. This facility, together with the application development and technical support team, allows Chemtura to support customers in finding the optimum formulation to meet their needs.

Customer-specific, physical property data are provided in the new analytical laboratory, which includes melt flow, heat aging, flexural and tensile properties, and melting point. Extensive polymer analysis is conducted using a variety of analytical instruments such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC), oscillating disc rheometer (ODR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), gas chromatography (GC), and moving disk rheometer (MDR).

"The investment at Morgantown brings the R&D facility for Chemtura's entire range of polymer modifiers to a single Center of Excellence," commented Peter Smith, president and general manager, Chemtura Antioxidant & UV Stabilizers. "Being part of our global network of centers of excellence, we are able to offer polymer modifier customers a unique R&D package that incorporates our antioxidants or light stabilizers. We are working together with these customers to create solutions that enhance their polymer properties in competitive environments."