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ePaper created 2013-02-01, 09:35:07 | version 1.24.0
3|2012 Research in Jülich RESEARCH AT THE CENTRE | Materials Research The crystals produced by Michael Feuerbacher and Marc Heggen can be used to manufacture tear-resistant plastic carrier bags. Ethene is one of the most important raw materials in the chemical industry. The gaseous substance is produced from mineral oil and processed into a number of base chemicals such as ethanol, an- thracene, and 2-chloroethanol, which in turn are used to manufac- ture drugs, colorants, pesticides, adhesives, paints, and much more. About two thirds of the ethene produced is for the manufac- ture of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and above all poly- ethylene (PE). The latter is not only used for plastic carrier bags, but also plastic films, freezer bags, buckets, laundry baskets, pipes, and cable insulation. A special variant of polyethylene is even used for high-tech products such as as implants. Chemical All-Rounder 13 In the crystal, the iron at- oms are forced further apart by aluminium atoms sitting between them. They are therefore never located directly next to each other and there is always a defined distance between them. BORN FROM THE MELT Producing such complex alloys is an art in itself. “It’s not enough to mix the two metals in the correct ratio, melt them and let them cool down again,” says Heggen. “The melt has an entirely different structure than the finished ma- terial. The crystal is drawn out of the glowing melt slowly and very carefully, at a defined temperature – it looks really impressive!” When the researchers first produced and examined their successful iron– aluminium compound, they were looking for entirely different properties. “We were interested in the mechanical prop- erties of the alloy, nobody was consider- ing catalysis at the time,” says Heggen. The team have already produced and studied more than 200 crystals of com- plex alloys. Feuerbacher is convinced that among them they will find many more materials with similarly fascinat- ing properties. Some crystals, for example, are suitable for coatings due to their hardness and low friction. Others could serve for hydrogen storage. Yet others could catalyse important reactions, similarly to the iron–aluminium com- pound. “This was defi- nitely not a one-off suc- cess,” says Feuerbacher, with absolute certainty. ::