Digital edition 1/2024

Top Performance

- Where the plastic VESTAKEEP PEEK is taking the lead: 3D printing makes implant production possible - Lightweight gear wheels drive electric vehicles - Squalene: How plant-based ingredients help to protect sharks

Let's go

Medtech

Close to the bone

PEEK is an important material in the medical device industry. Together with an ambitious inventor and entrepreneur, Evonik has developed a variant of the thermoplastic that allows the manufacturing of 3D-printed implants that could improve the health of patients

Chart

From head to toe

High-performance plastics or biosynthetic materials are indispensable for many medical applications. They can be formed into a variety of shapes, are robust or biodegradable depending on the intended use and are compatible with the human organism. An overview of the possible applications for medical products

Mobility

Turning with the times

Numerous elements in cars are already made of plastic. However, steel has been used for transmission components up to now. The Technical University of Munich now wants to create a new application - gear wheels made of high-performance polymer - and thus help to drive forward the transformation of urban mobility

Pharma

A Better Catch

Squalene enhances the effect of pharmaceutical products and plays an important role in research into new therapies. Until now this raw material was primarily extracted from shark livers. Evonik is now presenting an alternative product made from amaranth oil

Interview

The goals must be measurable

Ecosystems are under threat all over the world. But Katrin Böhning-Gaese, the director of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, believes that a turnaround is possible - under strict conditions

Round pond from above, Fanal, Madeira, Portugal

SDG

Clean and stay clean

Clean water is a human right. Evonik has developed a bio-based surfactant that is suitable for use in cleaning agents, personal care products, and industrial applications. It is 100 percent biodegradable after use.

Opinion

Innovation needs open hearts and open borders

Research and development thrive on international cooperation, because the major problems of our time call for global answers. Those who rely on national isolation and exclusion are endangering our future as a hub for innovation

Evonik Country

Poland: An old facade, a modern heart

Poland is rich in tradition, and the companies based here have become coveted partners in many sectors. From precision craftsmanship in furniture manufacturing to future-oriented concepts of green energy, Poland skillfully combines its historical heritage with pioneering solutions.

Foresight

The odd couple

Although identical twins are genetically identical, they develop in dissimilar ways. Epigenetics researchers investigate why this is so – and thus develop approaches for healing genetic diseases

In my Element

“Without sulfur there would be no life”

The exhalations of a volcano are suffocating, acrid, and sulfurous. We can get a sense of what this smell is like during breakfast. When we crack a boiled egg open, an amino acid containing sulfur is released.