WACKER - The Fascination of Chemistry
83 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingThe audio magazine of WACKER shows the many exciting roles chemistry plays in everyday life. Each instalment will give you interesting insights into how chemistry ensures perfectly functioning products in all areas of life. Whether it is drugs, computers, cleaning agents, clothing or toys - WACKER products play a vital role almost everywhere.
More: www.wacker.com/podcast
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Episodes
Episode 83 – POWERSIL® – Heat-Resistant up to 220 Degrees Celsius
November 30, 2023 09:28 - 5 minutes - 11.5 MBMolded plastic parts with electrically insulating properties that can withstand high mechanical and thermal stresses – up to 220 degrees Celsius, can now be produced by using innovative silicone resin binders in the injection molding process. WACKER is thus breaking new ground and providing the industry with an answer to the growing demand for high-temperature [...]
Episode 82 – Reliable Thanks to Silicone Resins
July 20, 2023 12:03 - 7 minutes - 18.1 MB“Silicone-based impregnation provides an electric motor with extremely high temperature resistance and a long lifetime.” Now, WACKER has launched SILRES® H60, which – by curing extremely rapidly – is suitable for mass automotive production, among other applications.
Episode 81 – A Better Life for Patients with Chronic Wounds
February 01, 2023 08:49 - 7 minutes - 9.12 MBSilicone-based wound dressings made with SILPURAN® from WACKER SILICONES are a much gentler alternative for treating chronic wounds, especially in older people. Thanks to their unique properties, these bandages prevent the dressing from sticking to the wound, allowing them to be removed with significantly less pain. Plus, they also ensure ideal conditions for healing wounds.
Episode 80 – Brilliant Images
November 24, 2022 09:41 - 6 minutes - 14.5 MBWhether it’s a mobile phone, tablet or ticket machine: We operate a wide variety of devices in everyday life by pressing on the surface. „Optical bonding“ is the name of the method that connects this surface with the underlying display. WACKER SILICONES has developed the high-performance silicone LUMISIL for this purpose, which enables particularly brilliant [...]
Episode 80 – Brilliant Connection
November 24, 2022 09:41 - 6 minutes - 14.5 MBWhether it’s a mobile phone, tablet or ticket machine: We operate a wide variety of devices in everyday life by pressing on the surface. „Optical bonding“ is the name of the method that connects this surface with the underlying display. WACKER SILICONES has developed the high-performance silicone LUMISIL for this purpose, which enables particularly brilliant [...]
Episode 79 – The Sun Is Heating Things Up in Industry
June 29, 2022 10:03 - 8 minutes - 9.44 MBIndustry needs almost three-quarters of its energy in the form of process heat. But so far, very little has been generated from renewable sources. Solar thermal power plants offer the best prerequisites for this – provided they can operate as reliably at temperatures below freezing as they can at high temperatures. Silicone fluids from WACKER [...]
Episode 78 – Superpower for Superfood
May 05, 2022 09:06 - 7 minutes - 17.7 MBTurmeric is considered an absolute superfood. But there is a problem: the plant substance is not water-soluble – and is poorly absorbed by the body. WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS has succeeded in increasing the bioavailability of the biologically active substance curcumin by a factor of 40: with CAVACURMIN. Entrepreneur and pharmacist Natalie Vladi is thrilled.
Episode 77 – Anti-Graffiti Coating for Smooth Surfaces
February 18, 2022 12:57 - 5 minutes - 6.59 MBAn anti-graffiti coating from WACKER protects bricks and plaster for longer. WACKER has now developed a primer that makes it possible to apply the protective coating to smooth surfaces as well. Glass, plastic, marble, metal and even artistically valuable graffiti can now be protected against unwanted vandalism.
Episode 75: Custom-designed building protection
October 13, 2021 10:39 - 4 minutes - 2.35 MBBitumen coatings prevent water from entering the foundation or the roof of a building. When you add polymers from WACKER’s VINNEVA® product range to the bitumen emulsion, the mass adheres better to the substrate, yet at the same time, it’s less sticky. Also, it repels water more effectively than other products. Since the composition of [...]
Episode 76 – Latte Art – Milk Foam for the Senses
October 07, 2021 10:49 - 9 minutes - 10.6 MBEvery self-respecting barista wants to achieve perfect latte art – works of art created in the foam of milk or milk substitutes. WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS developed CAVAMAX W6 especially for premium barista products. It makes creative artwork possible that not only looks perfect, but also keeps its shape for even longer, while enhancing flavor.
Episode 74: Low-emission paints
September 29, 2020 08:25 - 5 minutes - 2.4 MBAn unpleasant odor often lingers in the room after the walls have been painted. This is caused by the volatile organic compounds in the paint. WACKER chemists have succeeded in developing a binder for paints that only emits minimal amounts of such undesirable substances. VINNAPAS® EP 3560 even meets the Scandinavian ecolabel’s stringent requirements – [...]
Episode 73: Standing Up to Damp
November 14, 2019 07:45 - 5 minutes - 2.64 MBWaterproofing membranes are indispensable in protecting the building fabric against damp. But until now, it was not possible to use a toothed applicator to apply them, the tool of choice among workman in this country. The mass simply wasn’t firm enough, and the ridges merged. That’s why WACKER developed the polymer VINNAPAS® 7150 E, which [...]
Episode 72 – Polymer Concrete for Olympic Buildings
September 27, 2019 08:39 - 5 minutes - 2.68 MBThe architecture of the Olympic venues in Munich is in a class of its own. What few people know is that the buildings were among the first to have a polymer-modified mortar blended in with their concrete. Polymers like VAE from WACKER make concrete more flexible and improve its adhesion. The ability to mix them [...]
Episode 71 – Chewing gum in any shape
July 17, 2019 08:14 - 5 minutes - 2.58 MBChewing gum in the shape of a heart? We can do that! Until now, however, chewing gum has undergone an elaborate mixing process using gum base, which limits the variety of shapes. Now that’s all going to change: With CAPIVA C03, WACKER has developed a new gum base that melts completely so that the popular [...]
Episode 70 – Renewed Splendor for Flooring in Budapest Train Station
May 15, 2019 09:49 - 5 minutes - 2.81 MBTerrazzo flooring looks well – but not for long. Coffee and chewing gum render it unsightly with time. A protective coating based on a silane-modified polymer from WACKER has come to the rescue. Only one component needs to be applied – entirely without solvents. And the floor can be walked on after 48 hours. Experts [...]
Episode 69 – Just the Right Amount of Foam
March 19, 2019 13:38 - 6 minutes - 2.93 MBIn many countries around the globe, washing is still done by hand. People believe it ought to foam properly – because that’s supposed to be a sign of effective cleaning. Yet this foaming is a problem, since after washing, laundry has to be rinsed out many times until all of the foam disappears. This is [...]
Episode 68 – Say Goodbye to Bites
January 16, 2019 08:43 - 5 minutes - 2.44 MBInsect bites are painful and itchy. They can even transmit diseases. Although there are a few substances that protect us from these bites, they soon evaporate, which means that they have no real effect. Thanks to WACKER’s cyclodextrins, however, it is possible to considerably increase the time that these substances remain effective. For instance, tests [...]
Episode 67 – Ripe Mangoes Get a Protective Coating
September 17, 2018 12:25 - 5 minutes - 2.79 MBMangoes are sensitive. At least a fifth of them spoil before they reach consumers in Europe or the US. That’s why the Dutch company Liquidseal has developed a protective coating for such fruit. A VAE dispersion is sprayed on the mangoes immediately after they’ve been picked. This soon dries to form an ultrathin film that [...]
Episode 66 – Mouthwateringly Good
June 29, 2018 09:34 - 5 minutes - 2.86 MBChewing gum and chewy candy used to be two different worlds. Now, as part of the “Candy to Gum” project, WACKER is launching Capiva C03, a ready-to-use compound for candy manufacturers. It allows manufacturers to offer a new candy treat that behaves like chewy candy in the mouth at first, but after a while an [...]
Episode 65 – Graffiti Defense
May 02, 2018 08:26 - 8 minutes - 4.18 MBGraffiti and stickers are a real headache for municipalities and railway operators. WACKER has now developed the first silicone-based product that protects bridges, underpasses and utility boxes from this kind of damage for a long time to come. Tests under real-life circumstances have shown that tough times are ahead for these wannabe artists.
Episode 64 – From Stone Age to High Tech
March 08, 2018 08:38 - 8 minutes - 4.01 MBThe Lascaux Cave – this richly painted World Heritage Site – is threatened with destruction due to visitors. For display in a new museum, the cave was therefore faithfully copied by a French company and painted by artists true to the Stone Age original. ELASTOSIL M silicone from WACKER was used to make the molds.
Episode 63 – Expanding the Bounds of Bioplastics – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
January 10, 2018 09:15 - 7 minutes - 3.54 MBCrude oil is a finite resource. This is one of the reasons why the chemical industry is looking for new raw materials. Plastics can also be manufactured from plants, for example. However, these only become attractive when additives from WACKER’s VINNEX® product range are added. Only then are the properties of bioplastics as good as [...]
Episode 62 – Marriage of Wood and Plastic – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
December 06, 2017 09:39 - 5 minutes - 2.79 MBThey actually don’t like each other: wood is polar, while polymers such as polypropylene are non-polar. In order to process them into a homogeneous composite, they need a matchmaker: GENIOPLAST® from WACKER. Wood plastic composites are used to make interior trim for cars, for example. And Pinuform uses them to produce durable, easy-care decking boards, [...]
Episode 61 – And the Stain is Gone – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
April 19, 2017 07:12 - 6 minutes - 2.91 MBFork lift trucks in the industrial warehouse, hospital beds in patient wards – these have a considerable effect on concrete floors. In addition to mechanical stress, over time the accumulating dirt also becomes a problem. WACKER now has a solution to both of these issues: the PRIMIS SAF 9000 series, aqueous acrylate-based dispersions. They make [...]
Episode 60 – Building with VINNAPAS – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
January 17, 2017 07:27 - 6 minutes - 1.65 MBSand, cement and water: for a long time, that was all that a mortar needed. But expectations are rising. As a result, polymeric binders are now added to the dry-mix mortar blends used in many applications. These binders include VINNAPAS®, a dispersible polymer powder from WACKER. VINNAPAS® makes mortar more pliable yet stronger, so that [...]
Episode 59 – Soft, Gentle and Absorbent – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
October 06, 2016 10:49 - 6 minutes - 1.5 MBWhen you step out of the shower in the morning, you want to wrap yourself in a towel that is comfortably soft and that dries you off quickly. Treating the fabric with a new WACKER auxiliary is what makes that possible. When developing this product, researchers had to combine two conflicting requirements in a single [...]
Podcast 58 – Guilt-Free Indulgence – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
September 07, 2016 09:26 - 6 minutes - 1.63 MBCream fillings without unhealthy solid fats? Or baked goods with a reduced egg content? That’s possible. Thanks to cyclodextrins from WACKER. They have excellent emulsifying properties, stabilize sugar foam and creams, and can replace hardened fats. This makes them beneficial for a slim figure and cholesterol levels – and all that entirely without animal constituents, [...]
Episode 57 – Invisible Fire Safety – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
July 26, 2016 10:34 - 5 minutes - 2.69 MBAluminum composite panels can increasingly be found on building exteriors. In order to keep the thermoplastics used here from compromising the fire safety, manufacturers incorporate fire-retardant fillers. Developed by WACKER, GENIOPLAST Pellet S is a silicone additive that is suitable for a diverse range of thermoplastic polymer blends. It makes such flame-resistant blends easier to [...]
Episode 56 – Protection for Skin & Hair – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
June 07, 2016 19:23 - 5 minutes - 2.76 MBEverywhere, people want to be beautiful, but Brazil, in particular, is the third-largest market for beauty products worldwide. WACKER presented a new ingredient for the cosmetics and personal-care industries there – nature-identical hydroxytyrosol, or HTEssence. This is a highly effective antioxidant that can help to maintain the beauty of skin and hair for longer.
Episode 55 – Smart Textiles – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
May 10, 2016 06:59 - 5 minutes - 2.8 MBEverybody is familiar with functional clothing for sports nowadays. However, future clothing will be able to do much more: smart textiles will be able to notify us if we’re moving the wrong way or point out how we can exercise even more efficiently. Sensors that are designed with the aid of WACKER’s ELASTOSIL Film make [...]
Episode 54 – Bond & Peel – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
April 06, 2016 07:45 - 7 minutes - 3.39 MBWhether jam jars or fabric-softener bottles – countless everyday products bear labels. They are not applied by hand, of course, but with labeling machines. These can manage up to 18,000 labels in an hour. For this to work at such rapid speeds, WACKER has developed DEHESIVE SFX silicone coatings. They ensure that the label reliably [...]
Episode 52 – Preserving Wood with Silicone Resin – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
November 25, 2015 07:45 - 7 minutes - 3.53 MBWood is one of the oldest building materials known to humans – and remains very popular to this day. A coating is used to provide wood with long-term protection against weathering. With SILRES WH, WACKER has developed a wood preservative which is perfectly suited to this role. SILRES WH is a silicone resin which covers [...]
Episode 51 – Bonding Instead of Clamping – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
October 15, 2015 15:24 - 5 minutes - 2.83 MBBonding has several advantages over clamping, riveting, and screwing. Whether in a car or on a patio: bonds need to be flexible, but at the same time resistant to tearing or shearing. Geniosil XT – a new product range which does not require organotin catalysts or the addition of solvents – helps to meet these [...]
Episode 50 – Water Protection for Gypsum – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
October 14, 2015 17:12 - 6 minutes - 3.24 MBGypsum construction elements and materials have many advantages: they are environmentally friendly to manufacture and can be rapidly and inexpensively processed. But, when used in damp locations, gypsum must be made water repellent. In SILRES BS Powder S, WACKER now has an active substance which achieves this water repellency more efficiently and reliably than those [...]
Episode 49 – Silicone Fluids for Soft-to-the-Touch Laundry – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
September 02, 2015 19:52 - 7 minutes - 4.18 MBFabric softeners not only make laundry super soft but also make ironing easier.Fabric softeners are designed to make textiles more comfortable and give them a fresh smell. Modern silicone fluid emulsions from WACKER can do much more.
Episode 48 – Scratch-Free Car Interiors – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
July 29, 2015 07:36 - 9 minutes - 4.24 MBAutomotive interiors are expected to have an attractive, high-quality finish. The interiors of lower-priced and smaller car models often feature talc-filled polypropylene rather than high-end foamed plastics. WACKER has developed GENIOPLAST Pellet S, an additive that stops plastic surfaces from looking scratched and worn even after years of use.
Episode 47 – Antioxidants for Cosmetics & Energy Bars – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
July 01, 2015 06:00 - 5 minutes - 3.15 MBHydroxytyrosol is an olive-based active ingredient intended to prevent a great many diseases, boost the immune system and inhibit inflammatory processes. It is therefore used in skin creams and functional foods. WACKER has now found a way to make this active ingredient synthetically. Manufacturers are thus less dependent on the availability of olives and can [...]
Episode 46 – Enhanced Displays with Reduced Reflection – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
May 13, 2015 06:07 - 8 minutes - 3.79 MBA combination of high resolution and bright colors is an essential feature of state-of-the art displays. But these displays have a weakness: they are almost completely unreadable in sunlight. In collaboration with VIA optronics – a supplier of enhanced displays – WACKER has developed a silicone gel which, when combined with a special production technology, [...]
Episode 45 – Smart Silicone Composite Hollow-Core Insulators – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
April 08, 2015 07:46 - 6 minutes - 2.99 MBThe “Smart Grid” is the power network of the future. Each part of this grid always knows exactly what the other parts are doing. Silicone composite hollow-core insulators fitted with integrated measuring instruments are one possible component of this grid. As a result, you get lower installation and maintenance costs, fewer malfunctions and, consequently, a [...]
Episode 44 – Skin Protection for Endurance Athletes – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
February 23, 2015 08:35 - 5 minutes - 2.54 MBThe Ironman is one of the greatest sporting challenges in the world: contestants swim 4 kilometers, cycle 180 kilometers and then run 42 kilometers (i.e. a marathon). This event puts an athlete’s entire body under enormous strain. Irritated or damaged skin is unavoidable, but help is on hand with WACKER’s wafer-thin SILPURAN brand silicone film.
Episode 43 – New Materials for More Efficient Wave Parks – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
January 16, 2015 07:30 - 6 minutes - 2.88 MBWave power plants might be able to produce more energy than people currently consume. One of the biggest problems facing such wave parks is that they must be made of materials that can withstand huge forces during storms – and only a very few materials can do so. WACKER’s ultrathin ELASTOSIL silicone film is an [...]
Episode 42 – Odorless Carpets Offer a Great Many Benefits – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
October 29, 2014 17:45 - 6 minutes - 3.19 MBEveryone is familiar with the smell of new carpeting. That might soon change, thanks to a new process based on VINNAPAS brand VAE dispersions. This process is more stable than previous ones and produces higher quality. What is more: carpets made with these dispersions release hardly any volatile substances – which means the carpeting is [...]
Episode 41 – Silicones against Blackouts – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
July 17, 2014 06:00 - 8 minutes - 3.85 MBWACKER silicones are helping emerging economic powers such as India ensure their power grid is fit for the future. Silicone rubber is used to manufacture new composite insulators while traditional porcelain insulators are upgraded with silicone coatings.
Episode 40 – Protection for Steel Reinforcement – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
April 24, 2014 09:43 - 6 minutes - 3.15 MBOn the coast of Japan the 340 kilometer long Tomei Highway is set to be relieved by a new expressway running alongside it. So that the concrete pillars remain resistant to to the sea air, grit salt and rain, the concrete is treated with hydrophobic silanes.
Episode 39 – Pushing the Limits of Feasibility – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
February 13, 2014 12:59 - 7 minutes - 3.44 MBThese days, car manufacturers are increasingly making use of supercharged engines with small cylinder capacity – all in the name of downsizing. As a result, the engine compartment becomes hotter. The interior of self-cleaning ovens can also reach such extreme temperatures. WACKER has specially manufactured heat-resistant silicone rubber grades so that valves and seals remain [...]
Episode 38 – New-Generation Drainage Concrete – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
September 20, 2013 08:00 - 6 minutes - 2.89 MBA road surface that allows rain and melt water to simply disappear? Thanks to a binder from WACKER, this brilliant idea is already put into practice. In Germany, the first autobahns may soon become safer and quieter with this concrete.
Episode 37 – Foam Jackets for Steel Columns – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
July 18, 2013 12:07 - 6 minutes - 2.92 MBIn theory, a fire could break out in any type of building. For buildings with a steel frame, a specialty coating is now available which can save lives in case of a fire. The protective layer’s sophisticated composition includes a binder from WACKER.
Episode 36 – Ready to Generate – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
May 21, 2013 11:29 - 5 minutes - 2.6 MBComposite hollow insulators with a silicone shield have a series of advantages over conventional porcelain insulators. These workpieces are produced via low-pressure diecasting, for which silicones from WACKER are the first choice.
Episode 35 – Tribute to a World Statesman – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
March 15, 2013 10:36 - 6 minutes - 3.07 MBTom Rucker, a jewelry artist, spent 14 months sculpting a unique bust of Nelson Mandela in platinum wire, porcelain and black diamonds – and silicone moldmaking compounds from WACKER were also used.
Episode 34 – Benefits of a Vacuum – The Fascination of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
February 15, 2013 11:39 - 5 minutes - 2.74 MBFiber-reinforced plastics are versatile materials that combine low weight with high stability. To optimize small-scale production in particular, WACKER is partnering with a US company to develop a production technology based on vacuum bags made of silicone.