New research cooperation for printable electronics

Degussa AG, Dusseldorf, and the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Research Center) are together developing technologies for the future. Over the next 30 months they will be working together on new types of functional materials for printable electronics based on semiconducting nanoparticles. Concluded recently, the research cooperation has a volume of 2 million euros, with each partner contributing a half of this sum.

"We intend to use this strategic alliance to start exploiting the market opportunities of tomorrow right now." The Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe is a solid partner that provides an excellent complement to our own extensive expertise in nanotechnology", says Dr. Alfred Oberholz, Member of Degussa's Board of Management responsible for research and development.

"The conclusion of a contract with Degussa shows that a collaboration with industry does not have to wait until the fruits of research are available, but can actually begin at an earlier stage, while the basic research is still being conducted”, Prof. Dr. Manfred Popp, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, is pleased to note.

The 140 employees of the Institute for Nanotechnology in the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe possess unique skills in the field of nanostructured materials and electron transport through nanoscale systems. Degussa has extensive know-how in researching and developing nanomaterials, and has invested around 100 million euros in this area over the past four years. The specialty chemicals group enjoys a worldwide leading position in this field through its internal start-up "Degussa Advanced Nanomaterials”. The latest showcase for its research is the Science to Business Center Nanotronics, where Degussa develops innovative system solutions for the electronics industry which are based on nanomaterials.

The scientists from Degussa and the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe are working together with the aim of developing nanoparticle systems. These systems will enable electronic components to be printed for uses ranging from affordable electronic applications through to disposable electronic products. One example are radio tags for goods in the supermarket which display the price and sell-by date. The goal is to develop a technology that will enable manufacturers to produce radio tags - so-called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips - that are not based on microchip technology. Instead, the tags will be printed, a much more affordable method involving fewer processing stages.

"We are seeking to combine the good printing capabilities of organic materials with the outstanding electrical properties of anorganic semiconductors", comments Dr. Roland Schmechel, head of the new joint working group composed of 10 scientists at the Institute for Nanotechnology at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. "That would represent a revolution in electronics".

Affordable mass printing processes in sight

The vision of printable electronics has as its goal the manufacture of electronic switches using affordable mass printing processes. There is a huge economic potential for electronic components which can be produced within seconds on a printer, instead of the weeks it currently takes to manufacture them. Experts estimate the market volume will total around 30 billion euros in 2015.

The close collaboration between Degussa and the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe is based on a long-established partnership in the NanoMat network, where 25 members from research and industry pool their expertise into the area of nanomaterials ( www.nanomat.de ).


The Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe is a member of the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Germany's largest research organization, which has 15 research facilities and an annual budget of around 2.1 billion euros. The Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft's 24,000 employees carry out research in the fields of the structure of matter, the earth and the environment, traffic and space, health, energy and key technologies.

Degussa is the global market leader in specialty chemicals. Our innovative products and system solutions make an indispensable contribution to our customers' success, which we sum up by our claim "creating essentials". In fiscal 2004 Degussa's 45,000 employees worldwide generated sales of 11.2 billion euros and operating profits (EBIT) of 965 million euros.

For more information about Degussa's activities in the area of printable electronics, please go to http://www.degussa.de/en/products/archive.html