Productivity, manufacturing advances

The most significant commercial product is barium titanate, BaTiO, used to produce the ceramic capacitors found in almost all electronic products. As electronic circuitry has been rniniaturized, demand has increased for capacitors that can store a high amount of charge in a relatively small volume. This demand led to the development of highly efficient multilayer ceramic capacitors. In these devices, several layers of ceramic, from 25—50 ]lni in thickness, are separated by even thinner layers of electrode metal. Each layer must be dense, free of pin-holes and flaws, and ideally consist of several uniform grains of fired ceramic. Manufacturers are trying to reduce the layer thickness to 10—12 ]lni. Conventionally prepared ceramic powders cannot meet the rigorous demands of these appHcations, therefore an emphasis has been placed on production of advanced powders by hydrothermal synthesis and other methods. 

This screening effort does not differ from the way in which other product manufacturers judge their chances of profits and advancements. It implies progress of technology in a different sense, not always depending on the results of studies, which are presented in scientific meetings. 

Second, partnerships between materials developers and end users must be facilitated and encouraged. In some cases, this step may mean an R D consortium between university researchers, a chemical or materials company, and a product manufacturer. The National Institute of Standards and Technology s Advanced Technology Program (NIST ATP) is a good model that should be expanded. Several projects that have been funded are examples of this integration of research-development-commercialization by universities, a materials supplier, and an end-user product manufacturer. 

It is indeed humbling to compose this introductory chapter as there is already a vast array of introductory literature on process analysis. " It is worthwhile, however, to expand upon these works as the field continues to advance. This chapter is written from a PA experience base spanning three disparate sectors (chemical, pharmaceutical and surveillance) and various real-time analytical problems. The experience includes disparate products (fine chemical, polymer, pharmaceutical materials during product manufacture, etc.) and material physical states as well as PA solutions. 

The petrochemical and chemical industries are the traditional industries for IR analyzers. The needs are extremely diverse and the versatility associated with process IR spectral measurements make the analyzers a good fit. Products manufactured by the petrochemical and chemical industries range from commodity materials (basic chemicals and raw materials) to fully formulated or compounded end-use products. Value-added products (formulated products) often require an advanced spectral analyzer, such as a process FTIR, whereas commodity chemicals are often served by a traditional IR photometer. 

Products The advanced cascade technology enables the manufacturing of tailor-made products with a definite MWD from narrow to broad MWD,... 

Biocatalytic processes for the manufacturing of complex or sensitive molecules require highly selective separation and purification methods. The in situ separation of inhibitory or toxic byproducts or the shifting of unfavourable equilibria are additional aims of bioprocess control technologies. In situ product removal advances both the control of biocatalytic processes and the recovery of target molecules. 

The modem industrialized world would be inconceivable without catalysts. There is no other technical principle which combines economic and ecological values as closely as catalysis. The development of chemical products iu advanced, industrialized societies will only be technically, economically and ecologically possible by means of specific catalysts. Examples include the specific production of stereochemicaUy pme pharmaceuticals, the constraction of tailored polymer materials, the reduction of pollutants from manufacturing plants and combustions systems (e.g. power stations, motor vehicles). Another major topic for the 21 century, the production, storage, and conversion of energy, will also be promoted by catalysts [4]. 

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