Welcome to the Digital Wonderworld

Within the space of just a few years, computers, cell phones, and the Internet have come to dominate our lives. An increasing number of novel technical possibilities are now being taken for granted, thanks to digitalization. We live in a digital wonderworld. PLEXIGLAS® from Evonik is found in many innovative applications and is helping shape the world of tomorrow.

Finger taps instead of mouseclicks

The computer of the future is now within our grasp. Microsoft’s new SurfaceTM is controlled simply by movements on a touchscreen. Evonik supplies the vital element that makes this possible: a touch-sensitive display based on PLEXIGLAS®. Instead of mouseclicks or keyboard input, a touch of the finger is all it takes to open files, scroll images, or play videos. The new display, made of PLEXIGLAS® sheets and films registers up to 50 touch points simultaneously.

Years of expertise for top quality

The novel display is a system solution from PLEXIGLAS®. And the requirements placed on this system are high: Even minute impurities or scratches in the material would subsequently disturb the user. In PLEXIGLAS® we produce an ultrapure, transparent plastic that satisfies Microsoft's quality requirements. The new display will soon be in worldwide use as a core element of Microsoft’s SurfaceTM. The first prototypes have already been introduced in various casinos in Las Vegas.

Optical purity for brilliant luminosity

Innovation is a tradition at Evonik, starting with the early success story of PLEXIGLAS®. The transparent plastic thrives in its innumerable applications, many of which were undreamed of even a few years ago. Optoelectronics provides a good example. PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds are used in displays of cell phones, PDAs, and flat screens due to their excellent optical properties such as high transparency, absolute clarity, scratch resistance, and high photoconductivity. Several hundred thousand metric tons of molding compounds are already being used in such applications, and demand continues to rise. A completely new industry has grown up around this.

PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds will also in the future play an important role in photovoltaics, a technology for obtaining electricity from light; with their very high transparency in photoconducting and light diffusion systems, and as concentrators, they will contribute toward efficient and sustainable energy generation. This is undoubtedly a market with a great future.