German chemicals firm Evonik has started up two new plant units for the production of crosslinking activators at its multi-user site in Wesseling. With triallyl cyanurate (TAC) and triallyl isocyanurate (TAICROS), the company now offers two crosslinking activators for use in plastics and rubber.

"The new production allows us to meet our customers' rising quality requirements as well as the growing demand worldwide, especially in the photovoltaics sector," says Matthias Hau, Head of the Evonik Agrochemicals & Polymer Additives Business Line.

TAICROS is used to enhance the quality of so-called EVA films, which encase the sensitive silicon cells of solar panels-and thus the solar cell as a whole-to protect them from environmental influences. TAICROS also ensures better crosslinking and also protects films against long-term yellowing, which means the solar cells perform well on a sustained basis. "What's more, TAICROS speeds up crosslinking, which results in a quicker lamination process and the corresponding efficiency improvements for customers in the photovoltaics sector," explains Segment Head Dr. Frank Kraushaar.

Meanwhile, TAC is primarily used in high-quality rubber materials such as hoses and cable coatings in the automotive sector to increase ageing resistance and, accordingly, the life expectancy of such items. With the backward-integrated production system in Wesseling, the new plant units are connected to an existing cyanuric chloride plant, which is one of the source materials for TAC and TAICROS.