BASF recently announced several breakthroughs.

01. World's First Highly Permeable Thermoplastic Polyamide

BASF recently launched Ultramid H, the world's first highly permeable thermoplastic polyamide. Until now, such casings have typically been made from materials such as collagen or cellulose. Ultramid H's exceptional strength allows for the production of artificial casings with significantly reduced wall thickness, making it an innovative material for smoked and dried sausages. Its hydrophilicity allows the desired smoke aroma to penetrate the pure polyamide casings during the smoking process and into the sausage product. Its high permeability also allows subsequent drying directly within the casing.

In addition to this new product, BASF has launched several polyamide products this year, including:

• Ultramid® Advanced N3U42G6, a polyamide 9T material formulated with a halogen-free flame retardant, minimizes galvanic corrosion on metal contacts in electric vehicle electrical and electronic (E&E) components, improving the safety and durability of high-voltage (HV) connectors.
• Ultramid® T6000 is a high-temperature polyamide material with superior mechanical and dielectric properties to PA66 and excellent dimensional stability with low moisture absorption. It bridges the gap between traditional PA66 and PA6T, offering exceptional mechanical and dielectric properties, particularly in humid and high-temperature environments. This material is an improved PA66/6T compound developed by BASF following its acquisition of Solvay's polyamide business in 2020.
• Ultrason® D 1010 G6 U40, a polyethersulfone (PESU)-based blend, boasts a high relative temperature index (RTI) and a CTI value higher than those of polyetherimide (PEI) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). It meets the specialized injection molding requirements of energy-efficient components used in data and energy transmission, smart electronics, and electric vehicles.

The new hydrolysis-resistant Ultramid® Advanced T1300HG7 HR grade exhibits excellent chemical and dimensional stability even at temperatures of 130°C and above in contact with various media, including ethylene glycol, thermal oil, and water. This extends its application in automotive cooling systems, construction, and other fields.

Pure Ultramid® Advanced T1300EG7 EQ contains virtually no electroactive components and is thermally stable from -40°C to 100°C. It is particularly well-suited for electric vehicle and fuel cell components, such as end plates, media distribution components, and humidifiers.

Specifically targeting circular solutions, BASF has launched Ultramid Ccycled, which contains pyrolysis oil converted from Asian post-consumer plastic waste using chemical recycling technology. Using a mass balance approach, Ultramid Ccycled delivers the same high performance as virgin fossil materials. Furthermore, in March of this year, BASF announced the official start-up of its first commercial loopamid® production plant. Located at its Caojing site in Shanghai, the facility has an annual production capacity of 500 tons of recycled polyamide 6, marking a significant milestone in the development of sustainable products for the textile industry.

In addition, BASF is actively expanding its nylon supply chain. In May, it acquired Domo Chemicals' 49% stake in the Alsachimie joint venture, strengthening its core polyamide precursor portfolio, including KA oil, adipic acid, and hexamethylenediamine adipate (AH salt). In June, the company successfully started up its new world-scale hexamethylenediamine (HMD) plant in Chalampé, France, increasing its production capacity to 260,000 tons.

02. First Batch of Solid-State Battery Materials Delivered

BASF Shanshan Battery Materials Co., Ltd., through in-depth collaboration with Beijing Weilan New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Weilan New Energy), has recently successfully delivered the first batch of mass-produced cathode materials for semi-solid-state batteries.

Weilan New Energy is the proudest achievement of Academician Chen Liquan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a leading company in solid-state batteries. Since the collaboration began in August 2024, the BASF Shanshan R&D team has designed an ultra-high nickel (nickel-cobalt-manganese) cathode material with a unique composite coating to address the interface issues between the cathode material and the solid-state electrolyte. This innovative technology not only improves energy density with higher capacity and lower impedance, but also significantly enhances the product's cycle performance and calendar life by effectively suppressing interfacial side reactions between the cathode active material and the electrolyte, marking a significant milestone.

This is another important development for BASF, following the signing of agreements with two solid-state battery companies, CATL and Guoxuan High-tech.

As solid-state batteries improve safety and electrochemical window, cathodes are trending towards high voltage and high specific capacity. Initially, this will primarily focus on high-nickel ternary materials, with future applications including lithium-rich manganese-based, ultra-high nickel, and lithium nickel manganese oxide.

In addition, BASF has renewed its existing long-term cathode active material (CAM) supply agreement with a third-party company. This agreement covers the supply of BASF's CAM plant in Schwarzheide, Germany, the only high-performance cathode active material production facility in Germany and the only fully automated large-scale cathode active material production facility in Europe.

03. Core Unit of the World's Third-Largest Chemical Complex Completes Mechanical Completion

In September, the ethylene complex, a core unit of BASF's Zhanjiang integrated base, successfully completed mechanical completion, marking the official transition of the €10 billion, world's third-largest chemical complex, from the construction phase to operational readiness.

The ethylene complex, with a designed annual production capacity of 1 million tons, fully integrates over ten downstream production units, directly supplying basic chemical raw materials such as ethylene and propylene to production lines for acrylic acid, polyethylene, and butylene glycol. The syngas unit innovatively utilizes the CO byproduct from ethylene oxide production and excess fuel gas from steam cracking, converting it into syngas through catalytic reforming technology. This is a first for this application in China.

In August, the butyl acrylate plant at the base commenced production three months ahead of schedule and delivered its first batch of products to Friendship Group. Simultaneously, the plant signed a supply agreement with Badifu for butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA). Simultaneously, the world's largest TPU production line commenced operation, with an annual production capacity of 120,000 tons. Its products are already being used in battery pack seals for new energy vehicles from BYD and CATL.