August 13, 2008 — ZEOX Corporation’s subsidiary, ZEOX Performance Materials, LLC (ZPM), a developer of products utilizing nanostructured materials for coatings, nanoparticle reinforced composites, and nanostructured polymers, has developed a new class of surfactant technology based on a newly developed molecular structure, called Lipotrope. Surfactants are surface active agents required in the chemical processing of many industrial products.

ZPM states that the molecular architecture of Lipotrope represents a technology departure from current products offered by surfactant manufacturers, and ir expects it to find broad industrial applications including the dispersion of water-soluble dyes and other additives into plastics and as key components in the production of high-performance polymer nanocomposites.
ZEOX has stated that Lipotrope will improve the efficiency of polymer additives, including pigments and stabilizers, and that it can effectively modify the surfaces of silicate minerals that enhance dispersion to be readily achieved in hydrophobic polymers, such as polyethylene and polypropylene homopolymers. These “exfoliated” composites provide next generation performance for advanced materials and coatings. Lipotrope surfactants are applied through a solid-state process, thereby reducing processing costs, process complexity and environmental impact.

This technology development has evolved from over 20 years of research at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago and ZPM. ZEOX is an early stage development company whose ambition is to become a leading supplier of high-performance zeolites sourced from unique, natural deposits in North America.