Munich-based chemical Group WACKER has honored Korean employees SeungA Lee and JungEun Lee with the Alexander Wacker Innovation Award for the development of new silicone resins for optical bonding applications. Additionally, and for the first time, WACKER also presented this award in the Lifetime Achievement category – for outstanding performance during an individual’s career. It went to Amit Paul of Wacker Metroark Chemicals, WACKER’s Kolkata-based joint venture, which makes silicone specialties for the Indian market and for international customers in the consumer goods industry. On account of the coronavirus pandemic, both awards, each worth €10,000, were presented at an online event today. SeungA Lee and JungEun Lee work at the Center of Electronics Excellence, a Group research institute in Seoul. They developed customized solutions based on novel UV-crosslinkable silicone gels for the burgeoning market for high-quality non-reflective displays. In a process called optical bonding, the silicone gel bonds the thin cover glass with the electronic layers beneath. The display is made non-reflective by filling the gap with gel and, thus, forcing out the air.
Silicone gels differ from other systems based on organic materials due to their stability and resistance to environmental influences, even after many years of service. As a result, they are widely used in sophisticated applications, such as large instrument-panel displays, restaurant-menu touchscreens, multi-functional sports watches and, above all, in the automotive industry. As in the past, a key reason for the notable success of WACKER’s new product line is that customers receive products tailored to their individual needs.“The prize winners from our South Korean Application Technology department developed UV-crosslinkable silicone resins in close collaboration with a number of electronicsector customers and, based on their specifications, tailored solutions precisely for various applications,” said Christian Hartel, member of Wacker Chemie AG’s Executive Board. “Their work has enabled WACKER to become a leading silicone manufacturer in the highly attractive optical-bonding market.” In total, 30 teams applied for the 2020 Alexander Wacker Innovation Award – a new record. The finalists included Amit Paul from Wacker Metroark Chemicals in Kolkata. His team successfully developed water-free silane oligomer-surfactant mixtures for treating cement compounds. This additive renders the cement hydrophobic during grinding, which achieves energy savings of up to 50 percent.
This and other developments achieved during his 35 years of service – first at Metroark and later – since 1999 – at the Wacker Metroark Chemicals joint venture – are the reasons why Amit Paul has been honored with the Alexander Wacker Innovation Award in the Lifetime Achievement category. He is the first Group employee to win this prize. “Throughout his career at WACKER, Amit Paul has excelled with his dedication and truly remarkable pioneering spirit”, noted board member Christian Hartel in his speech honoring the award winner.