DuPont and Ormecon Chemie signed a broad marketing and R&D cooperation agreement

Wilmington, Del. / Ammersbek, Germany, Feb. 12, 1999

In a move that establishes a leading position in the global market for conductive polymers, DuPont has signed an agreement with Ormecon Chemie of Ammersbek, Germany. DuPont will market Ormeconīs polyaniline-based products including anticorrosion coatings and printed circuit board surface finishes on a global basis. Polyaniline is described by Ormecon as an "Organic Metal".

As part of the agreement, Ormecon will carry out research and development aimed at commercializing their concepts for even more advanced anticorrosion coatings and higher-conductivity polyaniline for electrical shielding applications. These future products will also be marketed by DuPont. The agreement also provides DuPont a license to Ormeconīs patents covering many applications and processes for the use of polyaniline-based products.

"We are excited to begin this marketing and R&D relationship with Ormecon", said Dr. Robert G. Dorothy, Director Conductive Polymers Venture. "We believe that Ormeconīs existing products open new market application areas that are not addressed by other current products. We are also looking forward to the products that we expect from the planned R&D and the many new applications for conductive polymers they will generate".

Ormecon Director and principal shareholder, Dr. Bernhard Wessling, said: "This relationship with DuPont, a major global company, firmly validates the more than 20 years of R&D that Ormecon has invested in developing our existing products based on our polyaniline, and positions us well for the future."

Ormeconīs anticorrosion products, including an extensive family of products marketed in Europe, represent a breakthrough in the use of inherently conducting polymers for corrosion-protection coatings that provide superior anticorrosion properties in environmentally sound, cost-effective compositions. They have been used successfully in applications ranging from railroad bridges, wastewater treatment system components, and chemical plant structures, to pipelines, ocean-going container vessels, and public constructions.

Ormecon Chemie, a subsidiary of the privately-owned Zipperling Kessler, is a world-leader in basic and applied research in the field of conductive polymers. Ormecon's products are used globally in many markets including electronics, mining, transportation, and environmental treatment.

Founded in 1802, DuPont is a global research and technology-based company committed to better things for better living. DuPont serves worldwide markets including food and nutrition; health care; agriculture; fashion and apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation. The company operates in about 70 countries and has 83,000 employees.