ExxonMobil Chemical Co. has acquired Materia Inc., a company focused on the development of new hydrocarbon-based materials that can be applied in areas including wind turbine blades.
ExxonMobil and Materia have been collaborating since 2017, working on materials that are stronger, lighter and more durable than existing thermoset products, such as epoxy.
In the wind power industry, these benefits could enable the design of longer, more durable wind turbine blades for more efficient renewable electricity production. Due to their strength, the materials could also be used as a light-weight, corrosion-resistant replacement for steel in certain applications.
“We are reimagining how new hydrocarbon-based materials can form the building blocks to help multiple industries achieve a more sustainable future,” says Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Chemical. “This acquisition ties together Materia’s Nobel Prize-winning technology with ExxonMobil’s complementary proprietary technology and world-class manufacturing capabilities to bring this exciting new class of structural materials to commercial scale.”
The materials take advantage of catalyst discoveries made by professor Dr. Robert Grubbs and his research team at the California Institute of Technology. Grubbs received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for these discoveries.
The acquisition includes Materia’s headquarters and technology center in Pasadena, Calif., and its manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Texas. ExxonMobil intends to operate the business under the Materia company name as a wholly owned affiliate.
