Sirrus Inc., a developer of next-generation crosslinking platforms for coatings and adhesives, has entered into a joint development agreement with BASF’s Coatings Division. The agreement allows BASF to further develop a new class of high performance automotive coatings based on Sirrus’s proprietary methylene malonate technology.

Methylene malonate monomers and their oligomeric crosslinking derivatives have the unique advantage of polymerizing rapidly at ambient temperatures—without the need for ultraviolet light, high temperatures or high solvent loading required by incumbent automotive coating systems. Malonate-cured coatings promise to reduce the energy requirements, environmental footprint and total ownership cost of automotive paint lines.

“The automotive industry’s drive toward reducing energy, capital and solvent in coating finishing technologies is inevitable. At the same time, the industry will not tolerate any loss in manufacturing throughput or performance of the finished coating. Our malonate platform is a key enabling technology in meeting the industry’s environmental, safety, cost reduction and performance goals,” said Jeff Uhrig, CEO of Sirrus Inc.

“Being one of the leading paint suppliers to the automotive industry, BASF’s Coatings Division is an innovative partner for its customers and always strives for exploring new technologies. The methylene malonate platform is an interesting opportunity for us in many aspects, particularly to provide OEMs with more sustainable and energy-saving coating solutions,” said Harald Borgholte, vice president, Strategic Marketing & Product Development, BASF.