Solvay continues support for polymer-based printed electronics
The international chemical and pharmaceutical group Solvay has made a $10m investment in Plextronics, a US firm developing technologies for polymer-based printed electronics.
The Belgian group’s contribution was part of the latest round of financing, which totalled $20.6 million.
In a statement, Solvay said it was the “lead investor” and had gained a minority interest in the Pittsburgh firm, but the percentage was not disclosed.
Founded in 2002, Plextronics specialises in the development of printed electronics for applications such as displays, solar cells and RFID ‘smart’ tags.
“Their [Plextronics’] expertise, which capitalises on extensive research efforts at Carnegie Mellon University, and their market-driven activities are a perfect match for one of Solvay’s most promising innovation platforms,” said Léopold Demiddeleer, director of Solvay Corporate R&D and New Business Development.
In June, Solvay announced a joint venture between its specialty polymer maker subsidiary Solvay Solexis and Norway’s Thin Film Electronics. The programme includes optimising the performance and processing of the special ferroelectric polymers used by Thin Film Electronics to manufacture memory technology products.
The joint venture is also scheduled to develop a range of ink formulations for printed electronics production.
Solvay is also collaborating with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics.
