Stabilizers for polyurethane foams

It is impossible to imagine the world today without plastics made of polyurethane (PU). For example, rigid PU foam insulates windows and refrigerators; in its softer, more flexible form, PU makes sofas and chairs comfortable as well as making it easier to grip an automobile steering wheel correctly.

The additives in PU foams are particularly important. They determine whether the foam will be hard or soft, high-quality and long-lasting or whether it will be able to insulate perfectly. These additives, the first of which was named Tegostab (”Tego" was part of the name of most Goldschmidt products and the “stab” stood for “stabilizer”), have been manufactured at the Goldschmidt plant in Essen since 1961. They were the first big research successes into siloxanes that started in 1947.

In their many, constantly changing variations, the PU stabilizers belong to the most important products in the Chemicals Area Business of Evonik Industries. In many areas they are leaders in global technology and also command a top position in world markets.