Merck Chemicals
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Chemicals | www.merckgroup.com
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Merck Group – An Overview
Open Innovation Projects: Merck – Living Innovation
Displaying Futures – Creative approach to look into the future
InnovationLab Heidelberg – Shared success
Technology Incubator: Qlight – Dynamic entrepreneurs
Academic honors – Prominent beacons of science
MerckLab – Being good neighbors
Innospire – Looking for entrepreneurial spirit
Merck Millipore: Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Millipore – In the service of life science
Biomolecular protein quantification – Accuracy in complex mixtures
Imaging flow cytometers – Picture your cells
Live cell RNA detection – Golden probe for detailed insights
Microbial detection – Safety first!
Laboratory filtration – Easy and clean
Compliance e-solution for water purification systems – Paperless and safe
Chromatography columns for food analysis – Speed is key
Water analysis – Clean water is a human right
Biochromatography columns and resins – Fast and effective
Pharmaceutical excipients – Path to the target
GMP Drug Production Services – Strong partners
Merck Performance Materials: Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials – Materials and specialty chemicals from Merck
Liquid crystals for display applications – It’s all in the mix
Reactive mesogens for 3D televisions – Molecules with depth effect
Structuring of touch screen sensors – Please touch
Phosphors for light-emitting diodes – Versatile light
Materials for organic light-emitting diodes – Flat light and clear contrast
Organic photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells – Capturing the sun
Organic electronics – Be more flexible
Liquid crystals for antenna – Crystal clear reception
Liquid crystals for smart windows – Mutable perspective
Decorative pigments – Living colors
Fluorosurfactants – Overcome limits
Cosmetic active ingredients – Wish fulfilment
Functional Pigments – Small but effective
Merck – Living Innovation - Merck Chemicals
Innovations are the fundamental driver behind the growth and evolution of our society!
Economic advancement depends heavily on the capacity that comes from new ideas. Novel concepts lead
to research projects that develop innovative, marketable, and successful products – thereby improving
overall quality of life.
Since its founding, Merck has viewed itself as a research-oriented pharmaceutical-chemical company with
an obligation to actively contribute to societal development and technological advancement worldwide.
In 2018, we will be celebrating Merck’s 350th anniversary – a milestone that very few companies have
reached. A lot has happened since our beginnings; we’ve achieved a great deal – and we have a bright
future ahead of us.
“Merck – Living Innovation” encapsulates our aspiration for the future. We intend to continue setting
the standards in innovation – through innovative pharmaceuticals, high-tech materials and products for
the life science industry that meet the needs of patients and customers while building on the potential
of science and research.
Our entrepreneurial success is founded on the six Merck Values: courage, achievement, responsibility,
respect, integrity, and transparency. Our core competencies include our traditionally high quality
­standards, and our collaborative mindset. But above all is our ability to innovate!
Together with international partners from science and industry, we seek innovation in everything we do
to reach customer-oriented solutions. In order to accomplish this, we take a highly diversified approach
to managing innovation: through our own product-oriented research and development in our businesses;
through the development of technology platforms that span multiple applications; through open innovation
and activities in collaboration with externals.
The following pages of this publication show how innovation is a pillar of our chemical business; they
illustrate how we turn innovation into material and life science products that improve quality of life and
thereby conform to our global guiding principle: Merck - Living Innovation.
We have compiled a series of individual examples of our open innovation projects, along with projects from
our Merck Performance Materials and Merck Millipore divisions. By providing a sampling of the wide range
of innovations that Merck has to offer, we hope to give all our customers, research partners, and stake­
holders an idea of the innovative strength of our products and services in the chemical business.
Bernd Reckmann
Member of the Executive Board
CEO Chemicals
The Merck Group – An Overview
Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and
chemical sectors. Around 38,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients,
to further the success of our customers and to help meet global challenges. We operate our businesses
in four divisions: Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Merck Performance Materials and Merck Millipore.
PHARMA: We discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize innovative prescription drugs and therapies
for high unmet medical needs. Through their targeted effect, these help patients to live a longer and better
life (Merck Serono). In addition, for the consumer health care market, we offer a wide range of over-thecounter products that help prevent illness and relieve minor complaints (Consumer Health).
CHEMICALS: Our broad range of specialty chemicals are used in technologically sophisticated applications
ranging from liquid crystal mixtures for flat-panel displays, to effect pigments and cosmetic ingredients
(Merck Performance Materials). In addition, as a leading global partner to this future-oriented industry,
we offer products, applications and solutions for protein research and cell biology as well as for the
­manufacture of chemical and biopharmaceutical drugs. Our products and services range from laboratory
chemicals, reagents and consumables to analytical methods and laboratory water purification systems
(Merck Millipore).
Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. Since 1668 our name has stood for
innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. The founding family remains the majority
owner of the company to this day.
We are Merck, the original, and hold the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are
Canada and the United States, where we are known as EMD.
In 2013, the Merck Group generated total revenues of € 11.1 billion.
Open Innovation Projects
Merck – Living Innovation
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
Displaying Futures
Creative approach to look into the future
What is it all about?
Displaying Futures stands for a dialogue-­
oriented approach. Renowned and creative
thinkers from the worlds of science, culture,
art, architecture, design and other sectors
present future scenarios from their perspective to display manufacturers and related
industries. With its Displaying Futures
­symposia, Merck is deliberately abandoning the linear, technology-oriented research
approach and seeking a dialogue with artists
and scientists in order to gain inspiration
from them and their creative ideas that lead
to new innovations in the industry.
Previous symposia:
2011, Tokyo: Displaying Futures –
Advancement and Potential
2012, Taipei: Seamless Transitions –
From Urbanity to Products
2013, Seoul: Ubiquitous Interaction –
A World of Displays
Merck – Living Innovation
And the benefit?
Displaying Futures facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue and generates inspiring ideas
on the future properties, requirements and
applications of displays. Through the interdisciplinary platform comprising sociologists, architects, anthropologists, interaction
specialists and other professionals, Merck
customers have the opportunity to include
new, previously overlooked aspects in the
development of their products.
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
InnovationLab Heidelberg
Shared success
What is it all about?
The InnovationLab (iL) Heidelberg was
founded in 2008 as an application-oriented
research and transfer platform in the RhineNeckar metropolitan region. In addition to
Merck, the partners include BASF (chemicals),
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen (printing technology) and SAP (information technology).
The iL enables cross-disciplinary collaboration between the partners along the entire
value chain. The priorities of the iL are cooperative research, the transfer of ideas into
marketable products, as well as the development and implementation of educational
programs.
Within the framework of the “Forum Organic
Electronics” excellence cluster of the G
­ erman
Ministry of Education and Research, for
example, the scientists at the iL research how
luminous wallpaper, solar cells and integrated circuits can be printed on thin, flexible substrates. Merck is involved in a total
of four projects, contributing its expertise in
areas such as innovative inks.
Merck – Living Innovation
And the benefit?
By combining its efforts with those of global
market leaders from business and universities in a research alliance at the InnovationLab, Merck can promote new innovation projects that cannot be implemented in
ongoing operations and possibly integrate
them into the company.
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
Technology Incubator - Qlight
Dynamic entrepreneurs
What is it all about?
Merck has long been firmly established as an
active player in Israel’s vibrant science scene,
especially in pharmaceuticals and high-tech
materials. Now the company is intensifying
its commitment to and collaboration with
Israeli start-ups. As a technology incubator,
Merck is more than just a normal investor –
the company contributes its expertise in the
specialty materials field and in large-scale
production of sophisticated chemical formulations. It has already identified several companies as suitable investment candidates.
The first company of the technology incubator is Qlight Nanotech, a spin-off from
­Yissum, the technology transfer company
of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Qlight Nanotech develops products for display applications and energy-efficient lighting based on semiconductor nanoparticles, known as quantum materials. Quantum
materials, which consist of only a few ten
thousand atoms, behave similarly to atoms,
but their shape, size and composition can be
influenced. As a result, their electronic and
optical properties can be tailored.
Merck – Living Innovation
For years, Qlight Nanotech and Merck have
been jointly researching this new class of
materials within the framework of a cooperation agreement sponsored by the Israeli
Ministry of Economy. Thanks to the investment from Merck, the company can foster the development of Quantum material-based technology for new applications
more quickly.
And the benefit?
By incubation of Israeli technology, Merck
has optimum access to the fast-growing,
highly effective Israeli start-up scene and will
develop and market the resulting new products within its divisions.
Qlight Nanotech provides Merck with access
to innovative materials and applications
based on light-emitting and -converting
semiconductor nanocrystals. The technology is an important step toward the development of novel displays, with an extended
color gamut, high brightness and very high
energy efficiency.
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
Academic honors
Prominent beacons of science
What is it all about?
The academic honors conferred by Merck
include the Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award
for analytical chemistry and the Emanuel
Merck Lectureship.
Every two to three years since 1988, Merck
has granted the Heinrich Emanuel Merck
Award, worth € 15,000, in memory of
the first definitive analytical work, entitled “Die Prüfung chemischer Reagenzien
auf Reinheit (Testing for Chemical Purity)”,
­published by Merck chemist Dr. Carl Krauch
in 1888. Named after Heinrich Emanuel
Merck, the founder of Merck, the science
award is granted to international scientists
up to the age of 45 whose work focuses on
new methods in chemical analysis and their
application to the human environment.These
include work in the fields of environmental
protection, life sciences or material sciences
aimed at improving the quality of human life.
The list of the prizewinners indicates the significance of the prize in the analytical sciences community and includes many scientists who often laid the groundwork for
important discoveries with their work.
Merck – Living Innovation
The Emanuel Merck Lectureship, endowed
in 1992 by the Mercksche Gesellschaft für
Kunst und Wissenschaft and granted in conjunction with the Technical University of
Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt), is a ­science prize
worth € 10,000. It honors internationally
acclaimed scientists who have made outstanding contributions to chemical and
pharmaceutical research. The chemistry
department of the TU Darmstadt selects the
candidates and winners. The prize has been
awarded 12 times since 1993. The international scientists hold several lectures
and seminars at the company and at the
TU Darmstadt.
And the benefit?
With the academic awards, Merck is not
only strengthening its position as a member of the international scientific community, but also provides both students from
the TU Darmstadt and its own scientists the
opportunity make contact with internationally renowned researchers, which could
­possibly lead to new research approaches
and partnerships.
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
MerckLab
Being good neighbors
What is it all about?
The MerckLab at the Technical University of
Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt) is one of the concept laboratories where the company develops innovative technologies and products
for the Chemicals business in close cooperation with external partners. The prerequisite is a good idea that fits in with the company’s core business and that, if successful,
could be expanded into an attractive business. Merck currently operates other concept
labs in ­Heidelberg (Germany), Atsugi (Japan),
and Boston (US/Massachusetts).
The MerckLab is a joint institution of the
TU Darmstadt and Merck; the company
bears most of the personnel costs and the
TU Darmstadt provides the labs and offices
as well as the professional expertise. A total
of six institutes from the fields of organic
and inorganic chemistry, materials science,
electrical engineering and printing and surface technologies contribute their expertise
to the research activities. Founded in 2006,
the MerckLab has about a dozen researchers
from the TU Darmstadt and Merck who are
jointly working on the development of printable field-effect transistors based on inorganic materials. .
Merck – Living Innovation
And the benefit?
The close integration of university and
industrial research, in other words of basic
research and application-oriented research,
results in mutually beneficial constructive
and creative cooperation. On the one hand,
the spatial proximity of the MerckLab at the
Technical University to Merck headquarters
in Darmstadt enables intensive communication and ensures that the available resources
can be used efficiently. On the other hand,
the physical distance results in greater freedom of research, and thus often to innovative research methods..
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
Innospire
Looking for entrepreneurial spirit
What is it all about?
Innovation and inspiration are the driving forces of the “Innospire” process that
Merck has been using since 2009 to promote employees’ innovative product ideas
worldwide. It often generates projects that
go beyond the borders of a business and pool
expertise in cross-divisional teams. The Innospire process, supported jointly by the Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals businesses, has
also been open to external partners since
2013, resolutely paving the way to open
innovation. The promising ideas are further
developed into business plans and implemented by interdisciplinary, self-organized
teams with intense support from internal
and external experts.
One of the first products to result from Innospire was launched in 2013: Parteck(R) SLC,
a ­silica-based excipient that provides significantly improved loading and release of
active ­pharmaceutical ingredients. More than
a dozen other projects are progressing well
and will lead to additional products.
In 2009, Innospire targeted product
ideas that would benefit both C
­ hemicals
and Pharmaceuticals. Efforts in 2011
were focused mainly on integrating
­Merck ­Millipore and in 2013 on cooperating
with external partners.
And the benefit?
This bottom-up initiative, in which everyone
can participate, fosters employee entrepreneurial spirit and the company’s innovation
culture and makes it possible to implement
global cross-divisional projects for which
opportunities for implementation would
­otherwise not exist.
The synergies derived from joining the
­different businesses and external partners
lead to creative as well as successful projects
and ultimately to new products.
Merck – Living Innovation
Open Innovation Projects | www.merckgroup.com
We provide information and advice to our customers on application technologies and regulatory matters to the best of our knowledge and ability, but without
obligation or liability. Existing laws and regulations are to be observed in all cases by our customers. This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties.
Our information and advice do not relieve our customers of their own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.
Merck
Frankfurter Strasse 250
64293 Darmstadt, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6151 72-0
E-mail: service@merckgroup.com
Website: www.merckgroup.com
Merck Millipore
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Merck Millipore
In the service of life science
Merck Millipore is synonymous with innovative products and technologies that help make
research, development and manufacturing in the life science industry easier, more efficient and
faster. More than 60,000 Merck Millipore products are used in research and analytical laboratories in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and scientific institutes, as well as for the
production of chemical and biotechnological drugs. Existing products are continuously optimized and innovative solutions are consistently developed to meet the needs of customers.
Merck Millipore offers a broad spectrum of proven tools and technologies, together with
performance solutions and innovations, dedicated to helping customers succeed in the research,
development and production of biotechnology and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Comprised
of three business areas — Bioscience, Lab Solutions, and Process Solutions — Merck Millipore is
a top-tier supplier to the life science industry and serves as a strategic partner for scientists,
engineers and researchers.
The Bioscience Business Area is focused on delivering new technologies and workflow solutions
that enable life science researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well
as academia, to understand complex biological systems, identify new therapeutic targets and
discover and develop improved medicines. Bioscience products and services simplify the workflow for
researchers and help to advance life science research in a wide variety of areas ranging from
neuroscience, infectious disease, oncology and metabolic disorders, to stem cells, cell signaling,
nuclear function and chromatin biology.
The Lab Solutions Business Area provides lab products and equipment for applications in the life
science and industrial markets. As a trusted partner for the worldwide lab market, Lab Solutions
provides premium quality, competence, reliability and consistency in water purification, regulatory
compliance quality control products and services, and analytical services for a wide range of
applications.
The Process Solutions Business Area offers products, services and solutions to help advance the
journey of therapeutic molecules. Process Solutions ensures adherence to the highest standards
in the production of raw materials and strives to streamline pharmaceutical and biopharma­
ceutical manufacturing processes. Its commitment to market-driven innovation is evident across an
unrivalled portfolio of products and services.
Thanks to breadth of expertise, profound knowledge and a deep understanding of customers
needs, Merck Millipore is a leading provider of life science products based on cutting-edge
technologies.
Biomolecular protein quantification
Accuracy in complex mixtures
What is it all about?
Proteins are the building blocks of life. It is
estimated that ten times more proteins can
be deduced from over 20,000 protein-coding
human genes. The entire set of all proteins
of a cell is called a proteome. To understand
the relationship between the structure and
the functions of the proteome is an important challenge of life science research, in part
because proteins are significant targets of
many drugs. As researchers try to determine
which proteins are associated with diseases
and thus represent suitable targets for pharmaceuticals, methods for protein analysis are
becoming more and more important.
The Merck Innovation
Merck Millipore’s Direct Detect® system is the
first mid-infrared biomolecular quantitation
system for quick and simplified measurement
of total protein levels. It not only allows precise, amino acid sequence-independent analysis, but it also requires only minimal sample
amounts (2 microliters) with protein concen-
trations between 0.2 and 0.5 milligrams per
milliliter.
Conventional protein quantitation methods based on UV spectroscopy determine
the absorption of the aromatic amino acids
of a protein, and colorimetric methods take
advantage of the dye-binding properties. In
contrast, the Direct Detect® system, with its
mid-infrared based detection of amide bonds
in protein chains, accurately determines an
intrinsic component of every protein. For this
reason, the Direct Detect® system provides
accurate measurements that are independent of the protein’s amino acid composition,
dye-binding properties, or reduction-oxidation potential. In addition, the system is capable of delivering accurate and consistent protein quantitation in the presence of reducing
agents, detergents and buffers. Moreover, the
system can permit simultaneous analysis of
other sample components, like lipids.
The Direct Detect® system uses a hydrophilic
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane
that is transparent in most of infrared spectral region, and the protein solutions can be
spotted directly onto the membrane.
Merck – Living Innovation
And the benefit?
Because the IR spectra of proteins, lipids and
carbohydrates differ, the Direct Detect® system enables accurate and rapid analysis of
complex mixtures of biomolecules, avoiding
the disadvantages of traditional protein quantitation methods in which non-protein sample components could influence the measurement.
Sample preparation for the Direct Detect®
­system is simpler than other quantitation
methods, not only because minimal amounts
of sample required, but also because spotted samples are stable in ambient conditions. Therefore, samples can be stored and
reanalyzed later without significant impact
on the results. Last but not least, there is no
need to run a standard curve every time. With
its user-friendliness and time-saving features, the Direct Detect® system substantially
improves the efficiency of diverse workflows,
such as monitoring protein purification processes and accurately quantitating lysates for
comparative proteomics.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Imaging flow cytometers
Picture your cells
What is it all about?
The driving force for the development of
instruments for cellular analysis was the
need of physicians to determine parameters,
in particular the number of leukocytes, in the
patients’ blood. Today’s devices for cell analysis can do much more than what we know
as blood sedimentation. Flow cytometers and
especially imaging flow cytometers are able
to analyze and map precisely and individually
each cell passing by a light beam with high
speed. Thus, certain characteristics of cells
or cell populations on single-cell level can be
documented.
The Merck Innovation
Merck currently offers two instrument platforms — the Amnis® brand ImageStream® X
Mark II and FlowSight® imaging flow
cytometers. The devices combine the functional insights of microscopy with the speed,
statistical power and fluorescence sensitivity
of flow cytometry. This unique combination
enables a broad range of applications that
would be impossible using either technique
alone. Because there are images of each cell
flowing by, even extremely rare cells, such as
circulating tumor cells, can be analysed.
The ImageStream® X Mark II imaging flow
cytometer supplies high-resolution images
Merck – Living Innovation
of each cell, including brightfield and darkfield, and up to 10 fluorescent markers with
sensitivity exceeding conventional flow
cytometers. Up to 5,000 cells per second can
be analyzed very effectively. Image analysis
is extremely helpful because change in cell
shape is correlated with change in function,
particularly in the case of macrophage activation, stem cell differentiation, and cellular
response to drugs.
The FlowSight® imaging flow cytometer provides high performance in a small package,
producing up to 12 images of each and every
cell in flow. It operates with a pixel size of
up to 1 micron which means twenty-fold
magnification allowing visualization of the
membrane, cytoplasm, or nucleus. Identifying cell conjugates or distinguishing single
cells from doublets and debris is effortless.
And the benefit?
With imaging flow cytometers, cell-cell
interactions, phagocytosis, apoptosis and
auto­phagy can be studied and circulating tumor cells can be characterized conveniently and with high speed.
Application areas of imaging flow cyto­metry
range from cell biology, immunology and
drug discovery to parasitology, hematology
and infectious disease research.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Live cell RNA detection
Golden probe for detailed insights
What is it all about?
Even if all the cells of an organism or a person have identical genes, each cell uses
only some of these genes, some of the time.
Depending on whether it is for example a
muscle cell, a skin cell, or a hormone-producing cell, distinct genes can be turned on or
off. When a gene is turned on (“expressed”),
its DNA sequence directs the synthesis of
ribonucleic acid (RNA), which then directs
the biosynthesis of proteins, which carry
out gene function. RNAs can also spatially
and temporally regulate protein synthesis.
Therefore, measuring RNA permits detailed
insights into protein function and thus into
the links between gene expression networks
and cellular functions, and ultimately into
the development and treatment of diseases.
The Merck Innovation
Merck Millipore developed SmartFlare™ RNA
probes for the detection of RNA expression
in living cells. Only a single incubation step is
necessary to obtain this physiologically relevant data in real time. The probes use inert,
non-toxic nanoparticles for specific detection of native RNA, eliminating all sample preparation. After the probes are incubated with cells overnight, they are detected
using a f­ luorescence-based detection system
of choice: microscope, personalized cell analyzer, flow cytometer, cell sorter, etc. Once the
experiment is complete, the non-toxic probes
Gold-quenched
fluorophore
on reporter strand
exit the cells, allowing scientists using the
same, unmodified cells for further analyses.
With SmartFlare™ probes living, non-lysed
cells can be analyzed without significant sample preparation, and changes in RNA are
tracked dynamically, over time. Traditional
RNA detection methods may require lysis,
cell fixation, analyte amplification, or toxic
reagents, all of which can influence apparent
RNA levels, and typically are limited to analyzing the average RNA level in a bulk population of cells. In contrast, SmartFlare™ probes
provide data in single cells, more accurately
Gold nanoparticle
reporting physiological RNA levels and revealing cell-cell heterogeneity. Finally, the nontoxic technology allows to perform downstream analyses with the same cells.
And the benefit?
The RNA detection probes can be used for
various applications. Thus the quantification
of microRNAs, the simultaneous determination of multiple RNA targets and the analysis of RNA and proteins in the same cells
are possible. Through microscopic visualization and/or flow cytometry, SmartFlare™
probe-treated cells can reveal important links
between gene expression profiles and phenotypes. In addition, SmartFlare™ probes can
be used for sorting of cell types that are difficult to isolate by conventional procedures
because of a lack of protein markers. The ability to detect and isolate living cells on the
basis of specific target RNA levels provides
a new way to study cell function as well as
identify rare cell types, such as certain tumor
cells and cancer stem cells.
Capture strand/
reporter strandduplex
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Microbial detection
Safety first!
What is it all about?
The safety of patients depends on high quality products. As a result, the safety of products during manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and vaccines is of paramount importance. Microbial contamination needs to
be avoided. To do so, the microorganisms
need to be detected and removed efficiently
in order to prevent loss of spoiled product
batches.
The Merck Innovation
Merck Millipore’s Milliflex® Quantum is
an easy-to-use, fluorescent staining-based
system for faster microbial detection. The
non-destructive staining procedure significantly improves the microbiological process control and product quality control in
the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
industries, which traditionally takes several
days. The latest test system is based on two
commonly used technologies – membrane
filtration and the universal enzymatic staining of viable and culturable microorganisms.
It produces results three to five times quicker
than the time required for traditional methods, allowing for species identification following a positive result and leading to more
efficient production of pharmaceuticals and
vaccines.
Merck – Living Innovation
Milliflex® Quantum consists of a reader, a
camera, and fluorescent reagents that are
used in combination with a pump, as well as
filtration devices and media cassettes.
And the benefit?
The compact, user-friendly Milliflex®
­Quantum system provides seamless inte-­
gration with existing laboratory equipment
as the sample preparation, incubation con­
ditions and the data interpretation are identical to the traditional method. As a result,
the validation process is highly simplified,
providing customers with a rapid and reliable alternative for the detection of microorganisms in water and complex matrices. The
reduced time required to detect contaminations ultimately leads to a highly optimized
manufacturing process and more efficient
quality control in the pharmaceutical and
biopharmaceutical industry.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Laboratory filtration
Easy and clean
What is it all about?
Cleanliness is a top priority when working in
a laboratory. However, the formation of biofilms, which are aggregates of microorganisms embedded and protected by a matrix,
may occur from residual amounts of sample that become trapped in non-accessible
areas of laboratory equipment. This can happen during the filtration of water, beverages
and other liquids. Once formed, biofilms are
extremely difficult to remove and can not
only contaminate microbiological assays, but
they also can cause false positive results.
In order to ensure high quality test results,
it is important to prevent the formation of
biofilms.
The Merck Innovation
Merck Millipore’s new EZ-Fit™ Manifold
addresses this issue. Working in collaboration with membrane filtration users across
industries worldwide, Merck Millipore developed the new and easy-to-use manifold.
The unique design prevents biofilm formation because it has quick-fit connections
for assembly and disassembly without tools
and all components can be removed for easy
cleaning and autoclaving. The EZ-Fit™ Manifold, which was designed using sustainability
principles, saves customers resources thanks
to its easily removable filtration heads that
require less space for cleaning by autoclave.
In addition, the design of the filter holder
two-way valve prevents the user from accidentally touching the filtration head while
opening or closing the valve.
It is also important for the user to avoid contact with the sterile filter membrane. Merck
Millipore developed the EZ-Pak® Dispenser
Curve for high-speed, non-contact dispensing of sterile membranes. The new design
allows users to load a membrane cartridge
in less than 30 seconds, and dispense of
a membrane in less than a second through
a touchless, industrial infrared sensor. This
replaces the need to press a lever and positions the membrane for easy transfer with
forceps, so the whole procedure can be done
one-handed with a reduced risk of contamination. The dispenser, which can work with
or without connection to a power outlet, can
dispense more than 10,000 membranes with
the lithium ion battery is fully charged.
And the benefit?
The EZ-product family simplifies the microbiological testing, reduces contamination risks,
prevents the formation of biofilms, and thus,
optimizes the workflow in laboratory filtration.
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Compliance e-solution for water purification systems
Paperless and safe
What is it all about?
Paper documents have a number of advantages: they are easy to use, convenient, portable, and legally defensible. Unfortunately,
they also have significant drawbacks. Not
just because they are expensive and difficult to store. Above all, it is almost impossible to search a large volume of paper-based
data quickly and thoroughly. In addition,
paper archives present certain security risks,
as data integrity can sometimes be compromised through transmission errors.
Today the regulatory demands concerning the quality, storage, and availability of
data are increasing, especially in laboratories for development and quality control in
the pharmaceutical industry. It’s no wonder,
then, that labs are looking more and more for
paperless solutions, especially in regulated
industries, where records must be kept for a
minimum of seven years, and often as long
as 40 years.
The Merck Innovation
As laboratories continue to move toward
paperless solutions, laboratory equipment
manufacturers have developed new technologies for storing data and signing documents. In mid-2012 Merck Millipore introduced its new Millitrack® Compliance
e-Solution that allows records to be archived
Merck – Living Innovation
in a compliant electronic format. This completely embedded software for water purification systems was developed specifically
for pharmaceutical, biotech and contract
laboratories. It is the first water purification
e-solution designed to comply with worldwide guidelines on electronic records and
electronic signatures, such as U.S. FDA 21
CFR Part 11, the EU Directives, or similar
requirements set by other global regulatory
organizations.
The Millitrack® Compliance e-Solution
increases lab performance and data quality, and also minimizes downtime thanks
to e-records and enhanced monitoring and
diagnostic features. The integrity of archived
data is guaranteed by a double protection:
an electronic signature and a checksum for
each record. The intuitive dashboard enables
authorized users to see operating information at a glance, giving them full control over
system operation, and making it possible to
take any steps necessary to ensure continued
optimal operation of their Merck Millipore
water purification system. Using the product’s search engine, records can be retrieved
quickly and easily. Human errors can be
reduced, and there is no need to store voluminous paper archives that are also difficult
to access and maintain.
And the benefit?
When used with Merck Millipore’s unique
water system workbook protocols, Millitrack® Compliance enables water purification system compliance with worldwide regulatory requirements. In addition to making
compliance easy, the Millitrack® Compliance e-Solution is also designed to facilitate
work in the lab and boost lab productivity
by ­giving complete control over water treatment systems. This is extremely beneficial for
laboratories in the pharmaceutical, biomonitoring, bioprocess, cosmetics, and medical
device industries.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Chromatography columns for food analysis
Speed is key
What is it all about?
Many people often wonder what specific ingredients and nutrients are in the
foods we eat every day. This information is
extremely important for people with allergies or other dietary restrictions. Beyond
that, people are all also concerned about
what additives are found in foods, from
­flavor enhancers and stabilizers to impurities and harmful substances. How do you
properly analyze all these ingredients?
After all, the food matrix consists mainly of
chemical compounds, including proteins,
carbohydrates and lipids, which can significantly interfere with the performance of
analytical methods.
The Merck Innovation
By tradition, Merck Millipore brings innovative products to market for accelerating food testing, simplifying it, or making
it possible at all. Such methods include the
high performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC). Merck Millipore is one of the world’s
largest suppliers of HPLC products, both for
analytical and for preparative HPLC. With
the ­Chromolith® HPLC columns, excellent
separations are possible in a ­fraction
Merck – Living Innovation
of the time, generally four times faster, as
compared to standard particle packed columns. The Chromolith® columns consist
of a single piece of a highly porous silica
as opposed to a column packed with small
particles. Unlike with particle-filled columns, its pore structure prevents the constituents of the food matrices from clogging the column.
And the benefit?
Chromolith® columns can simplify and
speed up food testing and quality control
procedures r­ adically because they are well
suited for the analysis of complex samples.
They are a simple, robust and cost-effective alternative for the control of food safety
and ­quality as compared to traditional particle columns, providing faster, more efficient
­analyses with simpler sample preparation
and a l­onger column lifetime.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Water analysis
Clean water is a human right
What is it all about?
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly declared the human right to safe and
clean drinking water. Whether for drinking, cooking or the production of food, clean
water, free of bacteria, toxic substances other
contaminants, is a necessity of life. At Merck
Millipore, water analysis products, such as
test kits and photometer systems, allow for
quick and easy analysis of drinking water,
surface water, process water, municipal or
industrial waste water.
The Merck Innovation
Merck Millipore supports the human right
to safe and clean drinking water with the
new Spectroquant® Move 100, a precise measuring instrument which one can
rely on anytime and anywhere. While traditional systems for drinking water analysis
are not portable and samples must be collected and transported to the lab for testing,
the ­Spectroquant® Move 100 is portable and
allows direct testing independent from the
individual environment and enhanced decisions of water quality can be taken immediately. Including more than 100 pre-pro-
Merck – Living Innovation
grammed tests the instrument covers every
important parameter of drinking water analysis. Data collected by the dust-tight and
water-proof Spectroquant® Move 100 can
be easily transferred, printed or saved using
the Spectroquant® Data Transfer module.
As a result quality management is possible because quality of water can be centrally
documented and monitored.
And the benefit?
Spectroquant® Move 100 enables immediate results of water-analysis on-site and is
beneficial whenever on-site water a­ nalysis
is required. Therefore in any situation, from
any fountain anywhere in the world this
equipment and its corresponding test sets
produce reliable results. And, immediate
decisions about water quality are possible.
The portability minimizes the risk of sample
deterioration that can occur during transport of samples back to the lab. The instrument also provides a one-stop shop for
­customers by its comprehensive meneue of
pre-programmed and user-defined methods.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Biochromatography columns and resins
Fast and effective
What is it all about?
For Merck Millipore customers time is
money – this applies in particular to the
technical process development of drug production. For biopharmaceutical companies, the purification of active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as therapeutic proteins,
and particularly monoclonal antibodies, at
industrial scale is the most time-consuming
and expensive step in the production of biological drugs. Here chromatography often is
the tool of choice when it comes to purifying
valuable products such as antibodies, hormones, enzymes, or growth factors.
The Merck Innovation
Reproducibly packing a chromatography column at industrial scale can be very challenging and takes time – up to 13-15 hours
is not uncommon. To address this customer pain point, Merck Millipore has developed Chromabolt™, a family of prepacked
and pre-validated chromatography columns,
available in three sizes – 10, 20 and 32 cm
inner diameter – with a fixed bed height of
20 cm. They are designed for pilot and early
clinical manufacturing and help our customers to save significantly valuable time
and resources by eliminating laborious manual column packing and cleaning. Merck Millipore’s prepacked columns require only a
fifth of the time needed – compared to traditional options – until a column is ready
Merck – Living Innovation
for use. Chromabolt™ columns have been
designed for use with a wide range of Merck
Millipore’s biochromatography resins. Currently, the columns are available packed with
­Eshmuno® S, Fractogel® TMAE Hicap, and
Fractogel® EMD SO3. More chromatography
resins of Merck Millipore in the Chromabolt™
column format will follow.
The new chromatography resin Eshmuno® A,
is a rigid, high capacity, acid and alkaline
resistant Protein A affinity chromatography resin which is used for the purification
of Fc-containing proteins, including monoclonal antibodies. It can be cleaned and sanitized under acid and/or alkaline conditions
while maintaining high dynamic binding
capacity at high flow rates. The properties
of the Eshmuno® A resin result in reducing the subsequent number of chromatog-
raphy steps typically used in the purification
of Fc-containing proteins. Due to the resin’s
acid and alkaline resistance, customers are
not restricted in process design, for example when it comes to buffer tanks, plant fit
or selecting an appropriate cleaning solution
for their monoclonal antibody capture step.
And the benefit?
Built on casters, the ergonomic Chromabolt™
columns can be effortlessly handled by a single person. Their inlets and outlets are easily
accessible and make uncomplicated cleaning
possible. They are compatible with all currently available chromatography systems and
connections, offer customers faster set-up
times compared to traditional columns and
help them to optimize their costs, production
flexibility and time to market.
Higher binding capacities offered by
­Eshmuno® A media in comparison with
other commercially available Protein A media
result in increased productivity and lower
costs. The resin can be cleaned and sanitized
under acid and/or alkaline conditions while
maintaining high dynamic binding capacity at high flow rates with no significant
change in product purity. Using PAB, a Merck
Millipore cleaning solution, fast removal of
microbial contamination without loss of
binding capacity is possible.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
Pharmaceutical excipients
Path to the target
What is it all about?
Medicine should always act in the body
exactly where it is needed. A plaster cast
would be useless if not put over the wound
and, similarly, a drug will not work if it does
not reach its desired target in the body. The
path to the target is just as important as the
target itself. Bioavailability is the ­concept;
it ensures sufficient speed and reliable concentration at which a drug substance is
available at the blood circuit. ­Bioavailability
usually depends on the solubility and dissolution rate of a drug in aqueous media. The
better the dissolution rate the better the bioavailability. And bioavailability is correlated
with the uptake by cells, for example of the
mucous membranes, the skin or the gastro-intestinal tract and the transfer to the
blood stream. However, increasing bioavailability is not an easy task. More than 40 percent of all drugs currently on the market
have a solubility problem. When you consider
drugs currently in customer’s pipelines this
percentage is even higher than 90 percent.
What can be done?
The Merck Innovation
Using Merck Millipore’s optimized excipients Parteck® the bioavailability of many
drugs can be significantly increased. With
the recently developed Parteck® SLC customers can dramatically improve the disso-
Merck – Living Innovation
lution rate of their therapeutics. The mechanism is simple while the explanation is complex. Parteck® SLC is highly porous silica
with a particle diameter of about 12 microns,
mesopores in the range of nanometers and
macropores in the range of micrometers has
an “inner” surface of 1000 square meters
per gram. This is roughly the size of four
to five tennis courts. Due to the pores, this
inner surface is readily accessible to the drug,
where it is quasi stored in an amorphous
form and could be compressed together with
further ingredients of Merck Millipore into
a tablet. Upon arriving in the gastro intestinal tract, the tablet dissolves into its components; the drug is released out of the porous
silica and passes through the cells of the
intestinal wall into the bloodstream, where it
produces its desired effect. Due to the inclusion in confined pore space, the dissolution
rate of the amorphous drug is significantly
increased and greater amounts of the drug
can reach the target, fast and secure.
And the benefit?
The carrier Parteck® SLC contributes to the
production of stable and fast-acting tablets. Stored in highly porous silica, greater
amounts of poorly soluble amorphous drug
reach their destination. Thus bioavailability
of poorly soluble drugs can be improved.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
GMP Drug Production Services
Strong partners
What is it all about?
The biopharmaceutical industry is under
pressure like never before. Pushed to complete projects more efficiently and with less
risk, companies are experiencing unprecedented challenges as they bring products
to market. With regulatory hurdles and scientific challenges, it is essential to have a
trusted partner who can provide comprehensive, expert services. Merck Millipore is such
a partner to the biotech industry. Innovative products, expertise in GMP drug production are at the heart of Merck Millipore’s core
competences
The Merck Innovation
To further meet customer needs Merck
­Millipore has launched Provantage® GMP
production services for speeding up the time
to clinic through innovative products and
services. The new service leverages Merck
Millipore’s innovative products with the
years of processing expertise to offer customers an innovative and flexible approach
for process development. The launch of
Merck Millipore’s Biodevelopment Center in
Martillac, France, showcases the first stateof-the-art facility where a provider of biomanufacturing equipment, expendables and
consumables uses its own products and years
of peer-to-peer collaborative experience
to manufacture GMP batches of therapeutic proteins for drug development compa-
Merck – Living Innovation
nies. The single-use facility offers a complete
upstream and downstream process train,
able to support customers from cell thawing
to the final filtration of the end product. The
biodevelopment facility includes a biologics
manufacturing process that incorporates the
latest technologies and innovative products
in upstream, downstream and single-use
systems. It includes process development
and validation services, GMP-manufacturing of quantities up to clinical Phase II, and
technology transfer and scale-up services for
Phase III and commercial production.
In September 2013 the Biodevelopment and
Clinical Supply Center again received the
good manufacturing practice certification
from the French National Agency for Med-
icines and Health Products Safety (ANSM).
The facility is one of the first to attain GMP
compliance utilizing single-use equipment for each unit operation from upstream
through downstream. The facility was also
designed to lower its environmental impact;
in particular, the use of Merck Millipore’s
innovative disposable devices and systems
has led to a significant decrease in water
usage.
And the benefit?
Provantage® services approaches every challenge in a consultative manner providing
the customized set of services, expertise and
project management to meet each customer’s unique production requirements. Acting
as an extension of a biotech company’s team,
Provantage® services helps to minimize
potential risk, to streamline the operations,
to accelerate the journey of a molecule to
commercial phase. Overall, it increases control and flexibility for small and large molecule development and manufacturing processes. By complementating biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies’ internal
capabilities and expertise the production of
GMP drug substance for customers for preclinical, Phase I and II studies is secured.
Merck Millipore | www.merckmillipore.com
We provide information and advice to our customers on application technologies and regulatory matters to the best of our knowledge and ability, but without
obligation or liability. Existing laws and regulations are to be observed in all cases by our customers. This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties.
Our information and advice do not relieve our customers of their own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.
Merck Millipore Headquarters
290 Concord Road
Billerica, MA 01821
Phone: +1 978 715-4321
E-mail: service@merckgroup.com
Website: www.merckmillipore.com
Merck Performance Materials
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Merck Performance Materials
Materials and specialty chemicals from Merck
Merck Performance Materials stands for high-tech chemicals made by Merck. Whether it is
materials for displays, for generating solar energy, for lighting, for use in printing inks, plastics,
paints, cosmetics, food or drugs – innovative products from Merck come into play when
advanced technologies and sophisticated applications are demanded. Research and development
play the key role, often in close cooperation with our customers. Merck is a leader in innovation
in many fields, such as in liquid crystals for LCD displays or functional fillers and effect pigments.
As the world’s leading producer of liquid crystal materials, Merck develops novel liquid crystal
molecules and mixtures and thus pioneers for innovative display technologies. The advanced,
high-quality, customer-specific liquid crystal mixtures from Merck’s laboratories already exceed
current requirements for displays. In addition, new materials, such as for OLEDs (organic
light-emitting diodes), will make it possible to tap into new markets in the future as well, thanks
to intensive research.
The company also develops innovative materials for “clean energies”, thus for technologies that
permit the efficient generation of solar energy and the development of energy-saving inorganic
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and organic OLEDs. LEDs are environmentally friendly and energy
efficient. The next generation of light sources, OLEDs, will set new standards.
Photovoltaics, with which solar energy can be generated efficiently, plays a key role in renew-
able energy sources. The most important technologies include crystalline silicon wafers, thin film
solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells and organic photovoltaic cells. Merck provides innovative
materials for solar cells of the current and next generations.
Pigments from Merck – tiny particles with a big impact. Safe pigments for food or drugs,
pigments and additives for refining paints, print products and plastics, functional pigments with
a desired additional benefit such as laser marking for brand protection or for simplifying
production processes – they all originate from Merck laboratories.
Merck Performance Materials will also invest extensively in research and development in the
future and thus in innovative, specialty products for novel applications.
Liquid crystals for display applications
It’s all in the mix
What is it all about?
Liquid crystals (LCs) flow like liquid, but they
also have the physical behavior of a crystal – anisotropic, which means directionally dependent. For this reason, their optical
properties depend on the orientation of the
liquid crystal molecules and the polarization
of the incident rays of light.
When voltage is applied, liquid crystals can
change their orientation in an electrical field
and have an effect on the polarization of
light. These two properties are used for liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Secured between
two glass plates and in combination with
polarizing filters, the liquid crystals can function as optical switches. The strength of the
applied voltage and thus the orientation of
the molecules determine about the transmission of light. Depending on the display technology, the rod-shaped liquid crystals can be
arranged very differently between the layers
of the LC display.
Each LCD is based on the mixture of eight
to 20 different liquid crystals (called LC singles). Each of these single molecules has specific properties that in turn meet particular
display requirements. For instance, a mobile
phone that is used both indoors and outdoors requires a mixture with higher temperature stability than, say, a desktop monitor that is used only indoors.
Merck – Living Innovation
The Merck Innovation
Since the rod-shaped liquid crystals can be
arranged very differently between the glass
plates, Merck offers customer-specific
­liquid crystal mixtures (licristal®) for each
LCD technology: for the classic TN technology (twisted nematic), which made the breakthrough of notebooks possible in the 1990s,
as well as for the VA (vertical alignment),
IPS (in-plane switching) and FFS (fringe field
switching) technologies.
Other future technologies are presently being
developed for LC displays. Self aligned vertical alignment (SA-VA) technology does away
with process steps for aligning the liquid crystals. An improved form of fringe field switching (FFS) is also being researched. Blue phase
(BP) technology uses liquid crystals in the
so-called blue phase in which, owing to their
extremely complex structure, their optical
properties are no longer direction dependent
macroscopically and where light transmission can equally be induced through electrical
fields. Blue phase displays thus not only have
extremely fast switching times but their production processes are also much simpler. The
new approaches offer potential for producing displays with even faster switching times
at lower cost.
And the benefit?
Merck’s advanced LCD materials and
high-quality customer-specific liquid crystal mixtures make it a leader in innovation.
In this role, Merck is continually opening up
new technologies, applications and markets in close cooperation with the research
and development departments in the display industry. Liquid crystals produce brilliant
and sharp images at maximum resolution in
ultrathin large-format flat-screen televisions,
notebooks, tablet PCs, brilliant 3D televisions,
smartphones, navigation devices, electronic
game consoles, digital cameras and many
other display applications. Consequently, it is
hard to imagine our communication-driven
lives without them.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Reactive mesogens for 3D televisions
Molecules with depth effect
What is it all about?
Reactive mesogens are liquid crystals that
have one or more reactive polymerizable
ends. If they are combined with photoinitiators and exposed to ultraviolet light, the
photo­initiators form free radicals that trigger
a polymerization reaction. A rigid network
made up of properly aligned liquid crystals
develops between the polymer ends – the
orientation of the liquid crystal molecules
is then perfectly preserved due to mutual
polymerization of their ends.
Reactive mesogens can be applied in ultrathin layers to a wide variety of substrates,
on glass as well as plastics. The p­ articular
arrangement in these thin layers – planar,
twisted like a spiral staircase, perpendicular to the substrate, etc. – results in specific
optical properties. In this way, structured
polymer films made from these polymerizable liquid crystals can systematically alter
the light’s polarization.
The Merck Innovation
3D displays, which contain Merck’s reactive
mesogens (licrivue®), use these strictly optical effects. For this purpose, the structured
film is positioned on the liquid crystal display (LCD) so that through polarization, the
image for the left eye is generated with the
even lines of the display and the
image for the right eye is simultaneously generated with the
odd lines of the display. The reason for this is that the optical film polarizes the light of
the even lines with a rotation to
the left and the light of the odd
lines with a rotation to the right.
Using a pair of passive polarization glasses, the wearer can see
each image separately and
the brain forms one overall three-dimensional image
from the
two partial
images.
As is the case with liquid crystals as
mixtures, reactive mesogens are normally marketed in very close cooperation with the customer. Basically,
Merck offers two types of mixtures: the s­ olids
mixture, and the reactive mesogen mixture
(RMM) or reactive mesogen mixture in solution (RMS).
And the benefit?
The aim of polymer films produced from
reactive mesogens is mainly to improve the
optical properties of OLEDs or LCDs. Thanks
to their wide range of anisotropic properties, they are excellently suited to the application of optical components such as in flat
screens – especially for 3D LCD televisions
and notebook computers, but also for PC
monitors and recently in particular for mobile
applications such as mobile phones and tablet PCs. They ensure a uniformly brilliant and
high-contrast image, and indeed from any
viewing angle.
In addition, reactive mesogens play a key role
in the development of autostereoscopic displays. This technology does not require an
accessory such as an additional pair of glasses
for the viewer to perceive the three-dimensional image
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Structuring of touch screen sensors
Please touch
What is it all about?
Touch screens facilitate communication
between people and equipment. Technology
from Merck already plays an important role
in their production. Touch screens are input
and output devices rolled into one for which
fingers or a special stylus replace the mouse
and keyboard. The main components of
every touch screen are the display and sensor. No matter which technology is behind
the touch screen, the electronics first capture
the contact between the display and sensor triggered by the touch on the screen and
then transmit the information to the operating program.
Basically, two technologies are used for
mobile telephones, consumer electronics or navigation devices: resistive systems,
mainly for consumer electronics, and capacitive systems, for smartphones or tablet PCs.
Resistive touch screens respond to pressure,
which connects two conductive layers at precise locations. Capacitive touch screens use
the ability of the skin to conduct an electrical charge and determine the position of the
touch via the change in the electrical field.
The Merck Innovation
To ensure that a touch screen can recognize
touch, the conductive layer on the glass plate
or film must be partitioned – structured –
into insulated sections by means of extremely
fine lines. For this purpose, Merck has developed a new type of screen printable ­etching
Merck – Living Innovation
pastes (isishape®) that significantly simplify
the structuring of touch screen sensors. The
entire structuring process consists of only
three steps: print, etch, clean. With isishape®
etching pastes from Merck, it is possible to
selectively structure individual layers or combinations of layers with a resolution of up
to 40 micrometers, whereby the underlying
layer remains fully intact.
And the benefit?
Previous procedures for structuring the
touch screen sensors, such as lasers or etching baths, are expensive, slow or ­harmful
to the environment. By contrast, procedures using isishape® etching pastes feature low material consumption, short structuring times and simple cleaning exclusively
with water without the addition of solvents,
­making them environmentally friendly, fast
and cost-effective. With some pastes, it is
even unnecessary to heat the substrate to
activate the etching step.
The innovative technology has opened up
new areas of application for the display
industry (isishape HiperEtch®) and photovoltaics (isishape SolarEtch® or SmartEtch®). Products in the isishape HiperEtch®
range can selectively structure antireflective coatings, passivation layers and transparent conductive materials for displays and
related applications. They are used particularly in the production of touch screens and
flexible displays, but also in the production
of backlighting with electroluminescence (EL)
and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) or
radio frequency identification (RFID) components. At the same time, the applications
are not limited to traditional layer materials.
The isishape® product range can also be used
to structure modern transparent conductive oxide (TCO) replacement materials, called
metal mesh or metal nano-wire layers (transparent metal polymer composite layers).
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Phosphors for light-emitting diodes
Versatile light
What is it all about?
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which basically
consist of a semiconductor chip and a phosphor, are the light sources of the future. They
are much more energy-efficient than conventional lighting technologies. A 40-watt
incandescent light bulb produces ten lumens
per watt. By contrast, modern LEDs produce
15 times the light, and in the future perhaps
even 20 times. However, many people perceive this light as harsh and cold. In addition,
it distorts the color impression that people
are used to in daylight; objects generally look
more natural in daylight. Merck is therefore
looking for ways to increase the quality and
naturalness of white LED light.
In a white LED, the semiconductor chip made
of gallium nitride emits blue light. This chip
is coated with a silicon matrix containing a
few milligrams of a finely distributed, highly
pure inorganic phosphor (based on yttrium
aluminum garnet or alkaline earth orthosilicate, for example). These phosphors absorb
the blue light, become excited and, in the
simplest case, emit yellow light. This light
then combines with the remaining blue light
from the semiconductor to create white
light. The quality and properties of the phosphor determine the intensity and naturalness of the light and the color – from cold to
warm white.
The Merck Innovation
Thanks to special phosphor mixtures, the
spectrum of the LEDs can be modified today
so that it closely resembles natural daylight. A color rendering index of over 90 has
already been achieved using LuAG-­isiphor®
phosphors from Merck that are based on
alutetium aluminum garnet crystal and combined with dark red oxynitride isiphor® phosphors. By comparison, a color rendering
index of 100 corresponds to natural daylight.
Merck develops, produces and markets an
extensive range of highly efficient green,
­yellow and red phosphors of different
classes of materials. These include ortho­
silicate phosphor materials (BOSE) as well as
the new generation of extremely stable, very
efficient phosphors based on yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG) and the dark red oxynitrides. The
amount of phosphor per LED ranges from
a hundred micrograms to the single-digit
milligrams. As a rule of thumb, about one
kilogram of phosphor is needed for one million LEDs.
And the benefit?
In addition to the energy saving advantage,
LEDs also offer greater freedom in the design
of lighting applications due to their size and
have a much longer life compared to conventional lighting.
Merck researches and develops phosphors for
LEDs for a wide variety of uses – for interiors
and exteriors of homes, lighting in flat displays and in the automotive sector, and the
targeted presentation of fruit or jewelry.
Due to their unique quality and performance,
isiphor® phosphors are just as suitable for
creative LED light applications as for backlighting for liquid crystal displays. The use of
LEDs is what makes the very slim design of
the new generation of LED LCD televisions
possible. They also open up new possibilities
for display manufacturers to achieve previously unattained, more authentic colors.
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Materials for organic light-emitting diodes
Flat light and clear contrast
What is it all about?
OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode.
At the heart are semiconducting organic
materials which show luminescence when
electric voltage is applied.
An OLED consists of a substrate made of
glass or flexible film onto which a transparent electrode, one or more layers of semi­
conductive organic materials only a few
nanometers thick, and a counter electrode are deposited. When electric current is
applied typically with a voltage between two
and ten volts, positive and negative charges
in the organic semiconductor generate an
excited state that results in emitted light.
Currently, OLEDs are used in two main applications: lighting and displays.
OLEDs are flat light sources, which open up
new dimensions in application technology
for lighting. The novel lighting source provides planar, glare-free light with a natural
color rendering index.
Displays that use self-luminous OLEDs have
brilliant colors and high-definition contrasts.
Because each pixel generates light individually, OLED displays do not require backlighting, in contrast to LCDs. In addition, the
response times of OLED displays are very
high. The individual pixels have a filigree
structure that poses a considerable challenge
for the production of OLED displays. Up to
ten different materials must be applied to a
substrate for every diode. Traditionally, these
layers are deposited using varying molecules
and stencils in a vacuum under cleanroom
conditions.
The Merck Innovation
Merck offers innovative materials for OLEDs
(livilux®). The product range includes stateof-the-art small molecules for both evaporation processes and soluble material systems
for printing processes.
A partnership between Merck and Seiko
Epson Corporation has opened up new paths
for producing OLED displays: the combination of durable OLED materials from Merck
and the inkjet printing technology from Seiko
Epson makes it possible to quickly and precisely produce high-resolution OLED displays
using inkjet technology. The first of these
printed displays are also proving that their
service life is long enough for initial television applications.
And the benefit?
OLED displays are extremely flat, lightweight and energy-efficient and deliver a perfect image from every viewing angle – with
extraordinary color brilliance and very high
contrast. Due to the low energy requirements,
small OLED displays are very well suited for use
in portable devices, like smartphones, digital
frames, digital cameras or car radios. OLED displays are also suitable for televisions, monitors
or large-area video walls. Flexible or r­ ollable
displays for everyone are – still – a dream of
the future.
OLED applications also include modern light
fixtures for lighting living spaces as well as
completely new light sources on walls and
wallpaper or in furniture or fabrics.
The inkjet printing of large OLED displays can
resolve the productivity problems of the conventional vapor-deposition processes. In addition, this technique deposits material only in
the areas where diodes are actually created,
thus enabling the optimal use of materials and
energy.
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Organic photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells
Capturing the sun
What is it all about?
In order to harness sun energy, efficient,
cost-effective, high-power solar cells that
are suitable for widespread use are needed.
Here third-generation solar cells – organic
photovoltaics (OPV) and dye-sensitized solar
cells (DSSC) – offer many advantages over
conventional silicon-based solar technologies.
Organic solar cells are based on a combination of various organic materials that
can accept or donate electrons. In such a
donor-acceptor system, fullerenes for example or other organic acceptor materials
accept electrons liberated from polymers
under the influence of light – causing electric
current to flow.
Dye-sensitized solar cells convert light into
electrical energy by means of light-absorbing
dyes. These dyes are embedded in a thin film
and this film is applied to a semiconducting
backing layer of titanium dioxide. This new
generation of solar cells is based on a combination of semiconducting and conducting
materials that can be even printed like inks.
The Merck Innovation
Comparable to newspaper printing, in OPV
light and flexible carrier foils are printed with
environmentally friendly electronic „inks“
consisting of organic polymers and fullerenes.
Merck has an entire range of innovative
Merck – Living Innovation
materials for charge transport in organic
solar cells as well as novel OPV cell concepts.
These include print-ready formulations for
organic semiconductors as well as fullerene
derivatives under the brand name lisicon®.
Merck is focusing on the development,
c­ haracterization and manufacture of special
material concepts for DSSC applications and
is looking for ways to increase efficiency and
durability. Under the brand names ­livion®
and Solarpur® Merck not only develops custom-specific electrolyte solutions for DSSCs
but also supplies highly pure individual components. An effective electrolyte ­system
has to be non-volatile and low-viscous –
requirements already fulfilled by Merck by
means of innovative substances.
And the benefit?
In view of climate change, it can be a benefit to use large areas of rooftops, façades
and windows in widely varying regions of the
world for converting light energy into electrical energy. OPV and DSSC can make valuable
contributions to this.
The thin and flexible organic solar cells can be
used for off-grid power supply. Conceivable
areas of use for organic solar cells include
light-emitting wallpaper for inside buildings
and integration into textiles and bags.
The design of DSSCs in terms of flexibility,
color, light transmittance and surface structure opens up totally new fields of application. DSSCs also generate electricity in weak
and diffuse light. Future applications might
be power-generating displays as well as integrated solar cells in glass building façades, for
example.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Organic electronics
Be more flexible
What is it all about?
Organic semiconductors can be used for
electronic circuits just as the inorganic semiconductors common today, especially silicon. Organic electronics (OE) is the branch of
electronics that deals with electrically conductive polymers and small organic molecules. Organic electronics are characterized by the use of microelectronic components on carrier materials made of organic
films, which are produced with printed conductors and components made of conductive organic molecules. The electronic structures must be deposited on a substrate with
a type of printing ink. In the ideal case, this
works extremely energy-efficiently at room
temperature. In addition, organic electronics are produced without toxic and caustic reagents. Inks for electronic applications
have to meet particularly high specifications
with respect to charge-carrier mobility, resolution, purity, and fault tolerance.
The Merck Innovation
Merck is a leading supplier of printable
organic semiconductor materials for organic
electronics. The company offers materials and formulations for the manufacture
of innovative OE applications such as flexible displays, organic solar cells and organic
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
These include complete material solutions
for organic thin-film transistors in display
applications. The products range from print-
Merck – Living Innovation
able high-performance semiconductors and
dielectrics to surface treatment chemicals.
Merck’s lisicon® materials and formulations are designed individually for specific
requirements and enable mass production
using a variety of conventional fabrication
techniques, such as spin-coating and inkjet,
gravure and flexographic printing.
s­ ilicon-based electronics. The technology is
very energy-efficient since it avoids the high
process temperatures of silicon technology.
Organic electronics makes applications possible that are infeasible with fragile inorganic semiconductor materials: extremely
flat screens on flexible films or on complex
molded parts.
And the benefit?
Organic electronics enables the low-cost production of thin, lightweight and flexible electronic components such as sensors, ­circuits,
photovoltaic components and OLEDs. It is
thus opening up a whole new range of applications alongside the established field of
Significant benefits of OE technology are the
appeal of solution processable fabrication
methodologies that allow freedom of size,
form factor and application architecture.
Possible uses are electronic paper that can be
rolled up, transparent solar cells and smart
labels. The latter are printed organic circuits
complete with integrated memory and sensors. Together with an antenna, they are
affixed to packaging, from where they transmit by radio signal information on the contents and location of the package. They can
also be realized with silicon technology,
though at far higher production costs.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Liquid crystals for antenna
Crystal clear reception
What is it all about?
Until now, anyone who has wanted to
receive a television broadcast or establish a
stable Internet connection via satellite has
needed a permanently installed antenna that
had to be mechanically pointed toward the
transmitting station – the satellite – so that
the signals arrived exactly perpendicularly.
That’s why receiving satellite information in
real time in moving objects, like in a car or
airplane, is still expensive and very complex
today.
The Merck Innovation
Together with the Technical University of
Darmstadt, Merck has now come a lot closer
to this vision. Mobile antennas that can
receive satellite TV signals transmitted via
microwaves in the radio frequency range
(GHz) become a reality with the aid of corresponding liquid crystal mixtures. They take
advantage of the same operating principle
that LC displays are based on – only in this
case not for visible light, but for microwaves.
Two substrates enclose a matrix consisting
of uniformly arranged liquid ­crystal modulation elements. Their physical ­properties
can be set using applied voltages so that
radio waves from a certain direction are
amplified and to some extent the matrix
picks up the radio signal strength that
impinges on its entire surface. The waves
are thus coordinated with each other, which
results in a signal as if the antenna were
pointed directly toward the satellite. This
means that without any moving parts, this
antenna can align itself with a transmitter, follow it and amplify its signals. The
requirements placed on liquid crystals in
such mobile antennas are especially high
and call for a completely new generation of
LC ­mixtures with high optical anisotropy.
The first liquid crystal antennas are expected
to be launched within the next three years.
And the benefit?
A liquid crystal antenna saves space, is
cost-effective and can be “electronically
swiveled” very quickly. Among other things,
it enables simpler access to satellite-based
information in remote regions.
Think about mobile, electronically swiveling antennas, phased-array antennas that
make it possible to establish a stable radio
connection to satellites from cars, ships and
airplanes. The super flat satellite antennas
can be installed, for example, onto the roofs
of campers, mobile homes, trucks and cars.
There they can receive and process TV waves
into images on a display using LC technology.
In addition, the antennas could replace the
often unattractive satellite dishes on houses.
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Liquid crystals for smart windows
Mutable perspective
What is it all about?
It sounds like a dream of the future, but
could soon be reality: windows generate
energy and transparent panes are darkened
in seconds at the touch of a button, and to
a certain extent the color can be selected.
Smart windows are a very elegant method
for supporting indoor temperature regulation: they let more light inside in winter and
less in summer, thus increasing a building’s
energy efficiency.
The Merck Innovation
The windows have Merck smart energy
glass technology (MSEGT) to thank for
their special ability. That’s because special
(proprietary) liquid crystal mixtures contain customized dichroic dyes that, when a
voltage is applied, can either allow light to
pass or block it through absorption. In the
first case, the panes are transparent; in the
­second case, darkened.
The broad implementation of these smart
windows has failed until now due in part
to the dependence on an external source of
electricity. Together with the Dutch com-
Merck – Living Innovation
pany Peer+, Merck has now developed windows independent of external sources of
electricity. The special dye-doped liquid
crystal mixture forwards the solar energy to
the photovoltaic cells integrated in the window frames, where it is converted to electricity. Initial pilot projects have already
been tested in the Netherlands.
And the benefit?
The new technology delivers better energy
efficiency in building operation and thus
energy savings as well as improved well-­
being by installation into window façades
of office buildings and other public buildings,
for example.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Decorative pigments
Living colors
What is it all about?
Colors are a part of human life – and have
been for thousands of years. Today, pigments
are synthetically produced on a large scale.
The production of a certain class of pigments, the special effect pigments, is one of
Merck’s core competencies. Pearlescence and
interference pigments are in especially high
demand due to their fascinating optical possibilities for designing decorative and embellished surfaces.
The impact of the special effect pigments
is based on the fact that they reflect and
refract ambient light in a special way. In
most cases the pigments used today have
a layer-substrate structure. The most important substrate material is the optically low-­
refractive natural mineral mica in the form
of very thin, besides other carrier substances
such as synthetically produced aluminum
oxide, silicon dioxide or glass flakes. These
flakes are coated with a thin layer of high-­
refractive metal oxides (e.g. titanium dioxide, iron (III) oxide). This results in transparent
to semitransparent effect pigments that can
produce a pearlescent, iridescent shimmer in
the application media (coatings, cosmetics,
plastics, printing inks).
Merck – Living Innovation
The Merck Innovation
For the first time, Merck has now combined
the properties of metal effect pigments
with those of interference pigments. Metal
oxides, e.g. iron oxide, are applied in thin layers on aluminum flakes – separated by an
intermediate layer. This patented combination of well-known substrate layering, new
flake technology and special intermediate
layer produces effect pigments with exceptional color brilliance, outstanding color saturation and excellent processing properties.
Thanks to a special additional coating, these
innovative pigments are suitable for a variety of high-performance interior and exterior
applications, but especially for high-quality automotive and plastic coatings. The first
pigments in the new Meoxal® range were
launched in 2013.
And the benefit?
For a wide variety of color nuances, Meoxal®
effect pigments can be combined with other
conventional absorption pigments as well as
many other effect pigments.
All pigments of the new product range also
have the special “Carbitol and Weather Treatment” (CWT) coating. This primarily serves
to meet the high safety requirements in the
handling of these special effect pigments. In
addition, all products have the mentioned
additional surface coating, which ensures
excellent durability outdoors including high
resistance against moisture.
The pigments’ particle size distribution has
been optimized for coating applications,
allowing them to be used very easily in all
well-established coating systems, including
waterborne systems.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Fluorosurfactants
Overcome limits
What is it all about?
Fluorosurfactants are a special class of surfactants (soaps) with extraordinary properties. Due to their chemical composition, these
molecules are capable of greatly reducing the
surface tension between different materials.
This results in a number of advantages for
technical applications. For instance, fluorosurfactants improve the wettability of critical
surfaces such as plastics, metals or ceramics. They also bring about a homogeneous
coating layer without flow defects even if
materials are not optimally cleaned. In addition, these surfactants can help with the dispersibility of pigments and fillers and stabilize emulsions. Fluorosurfactants are chemically very stable and therefore are also used
in many pH-critical and corrosive media.
The fluorosurfactants’ stability is at the same
time their disadvantage when it comes to
the biological degradation of this compound
class.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) gained notoriety after having been detected in locations
far from civilization. Moreover, these substances accumulate in organisms and indicate a high toxic potential. Therefore, these
long-chain, perfluoro surfactants became
the subject of public criticism, which led to
severe restrictions on and regulation of their
production and use. Alternative replace-
Merck – Living Innovation
ments currently offered on the market either
have reduced technical performance or do
not demonstrate a significantly improved
ecotoxicological profile.
The Merck Innovation
Tivida® FL products are the first fluorosurfactants that pose a clear alternative to the
known long-chain fluorosurfactants (PFOS/
PFOA) in terms of both ecotoxicology and
application technologies. The special design
of this product class allows the use of very
short, fluorine-containing components.
Tivida® is added to coatings in small concentrations. In application tests, the ­Tivida® FL
products demonstrate the familiar strong
reduction in surface tension. In coating
applications, Tivida® FL enables uniform
­ etting of problematic substrate surfaces
w
while simultaneously improving the coating process; cratering is avoided, and the
anti-blocking properties are increased.
The usual foaming behavior in fluorosurfactants is greatly suppressed.
And the benefit?
When Merck introduced Tivida® FL in 2013,
its goal was to offer customers a safer product without having to forgo the outstanding product properties of traditional fluorosurfactants.
They have greatly improved environmental
compatibility that has been verified in extensive tests. The products of the Tivida® FL
range are not bioaccumulative, do not exhibit
any oral or aquatic toxicity and showed no
evidence of mutagenicity. This product class
is an important contribution toward preventing emission of perfluoro pollutants and
minimizing environmental contamination
with persistent materials.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Cosmetic active ingredients
Wish fulfilment
What is it all about?
When it comes to skin tone preferences, suntanned skin remains a beauty ideal in Western societies, whereas light-colored skin is
particularly prized in Asian cultures. Common to both is the desire to prevent signs of
skin aging.
Porcelain skin, summer tan, firm skin – the
cosmetics industry fulfills nearly every wish.
Special natural or chemical active ingredients
are usually responsible for the end result.
The Merck Innovation
Poppy seed extract has been available on
the market since September 2013 under
the RonaCare® Poppy SE brand name.
RonaCare® Poppy SE is of natural origin,
highly skin compatible, readily processable
into cosmetic formulations, suitable for sensitive skin.
When it comes to skin firming, natural poppy
seed extract has a two-fold action. It inhibits lipogenesis, i.e. the build-up of fat in the
connective tissue of the skin, by reducing the
activity of the enzyme glycerol-3-phosphate
dehydrogenase in the fat cells. It simultaneously activates lipolysis, the breakdown
of fat, by enhancing the release of free fatty
acids. The effect: skin looks firmer and more
even.
RonaCare® Bronzyl™ stimulates the production of melanin in the skin and activates the natural tanning process. Already
after ten days, the amount of melanin in the
basal layer of the skin increases by 43%. The
advantage of this even biological tanning is
that it induces the skin to build up its own
natural UV protection. In this way the active
ingredient can inhibit skin aging due to UV
radiation from light.
RonaCare® Pristine Bright™ diminishes
the tanning of the skin, decreases hyperpigmentation and contributes to the refreshment of the skin tone. The complexion
appears brighter, more even and more transparent. The active ingredient inhibits the
enzyme tyrosinase, which stimulates the
synthesis of melanin.
And the benefit?
Poppy seed extract is produced in an environmentally friendly way and is especially suitable
for use in anti-cellulite body care products, but
also for facial anti-aging applications.
In addition to the UV protection through activation of the natural tanned skin reaction,
RonaCare® Bronzyl™ is also advantageous
to the cosmetics industry because the white
powder is readily processable into all applications, color neutral, odorless, and stable in
terms of temperature and light.
Common substances for lightening skin often
have insufficient skin compatibility and a tendency toward instability and discoloration in
cosmetic formulations. RonaCare® Pristine
Bright™ is odorless and stable in cosmetic formulations and thus easily processable. Furthermore, the application concentration of the
active ingredient is lower than in comparable
substances, because of the high efficiency.
The active ingredients RonaCare® Bronzyl™
and RonaCare® Pristine Bright™ are suitable
for cosmetic day and night skin care products, multifunctional body care products and
high-quality anti-aging products.
Merck – Living Innovation
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
Functional Pigments
Small but effective
What is it all about?
Every pigment has a function. Decorative pigments optically enhance objects –
they beautify them. Functional pigments
also have added value. They can be used to
achieve specific physical effects such as electrical conductivity, electrical insulation, thermal conductivity and IR reflection, or they
can be used as additives in laser marking.
Therefore, functional pigments play a very
important role as they are needed to impart
special properties to materials that cannot be
achieved in any other way.
Just as varied as the effects that can be
achieved with functional pigments are their
fields of application. They are mainly used
in plastics, coatings and printing inks. Conductive additives are used in antistatic floor
coatings as well as in primers to prepare
plastice surfaces. Laser marking is used to
label cables and other materials for which
the labeling should last permanently, even
under extreme conditions.
The Merck Innovation
Merck bundles the entire range of functional
pigments under the Iriotec® brand. Some
products are highly conductive and light-­
colored at the same time. Therefore, they are
used particularly for light-colored or colorful antistatic floor coatings where the black
Merck – Living Innovation
color from the commonly used conductive
carbon black would be disruptive. They are
also suitable for light-colored conductive
primers used to prepare plastic surfaces for
electrostatic application.
Another group of Iriotec® pigments can
reflect the infrared portion of sunlight.
Direct sunlight has two sides in architecture and in agriculture: on the one hand,
it provides buildings with light and allows
plants to thrive in greenhouses, on the other
unwanted heat builds up during the hot
summer months. The solution is translucent, heat-reflecting pigments. They enable
a shading system that allows sunlight to
pass through but repels the heat.
Other Iriotec® pigments are suitable for use
as additives in laser marking – especially of
plastics – yet also have great potential in
printing applications. Laser marking is recognized as the best technique for marking plastics, as it is precise, fast and efficient and can
be used in almost all polymers.
And the benefit?
Thanks to their special physical properties,
functional pigments from Merck offer a wide
range of added value for paints and coatings.
An example are heat-reflecting pigments
used in skylights, greenhouses, blinds and
winter gardens to create more light, less heat
and high UV absorption, while also helping to
reduce the energy consumed for the air conditioning of buildings.
Merck Performance Materials | www.merckgroup.com
We provide information and advice to our customers on application technologies and regulatory matters to the best of our knowledge and ability, but without
obligation or liability. Existing laws and regulations are to be observed in all cases by our customers. This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties.
Our information and advice do not relieve our customers of their own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.
Merck
Merck Performance Materials
Frankfurter Strasse 250
64293 Darmstadt, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6151 72-0
E-mail: service@merckgroup.com
Website: www.merck-performance-materials.com
We provide information and advice to our customers on application technologies and regulatory matters to the best of our knowledge and ability, but without
obligation or liability. Existing laws and regulations are to be observed in all cases by our customers. This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties.
Merck
Technology Office Chemicals
Frankfurter Strasse 250
64293 Darmstadt, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6151 72-0
E-mail: service@merckgroup.com
Website: www.merckgroup.com
1. Edition, published in March 2014
Our information and advice do not relieve our customers of their own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.