Commodity plastics thermoplastic polyurethane

Among the contrarians, Bayer has had for historical reasons a different approach to the problem of remaining a well-rounded producer of chemicals. It has always been a leader in such specialty chemicals as plastics and rubber additives and supplies master batches through its subsidiary Rhein Chemie. Its polymers are mainly centered on synthetic elastomers and specialty plastics like polyurethanes and polycarbonates that Bayer itself develops. These are not subjected to the cutthroat competition that commodity thermoplastics are. Bayer has remained involved in aroma chemicals with a well-known subsidiary, Haarmann Reimer. In pharmaceuticals the company occupies an honorable rank, although in the future its management may want to separate that branch from the rest of its activities in preparation for further alliances. Like BASF, Bayer considers its agrochemical line as a core business. However, unlike BASF, it is less interested in integrating upstream production to oil raw... 

Blends of the commodity polymers with more specialty polymers are limited although many specific examples exist in the patent/open literature. In the design of polymer blends for specific application needs, countless opportunities can be envisioned. Examples may include PE/poly(s-caprolactone) (PCL) blends for biodegradable applications (proposed), polyolefin (PO)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) blends for antistatic films, PO/silicone rubber blends for biomedical applications, PO/thermoplastic polyurethane TPU (or other thermoplastic elastomers) for applications similar to plasticized PVC, functionalized PO/thermoset blends. 

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