ORLANDO, Fla — Bayer scientists have refined a new class of polyurea polymer for coating metal and concrete surfaces in a myriad of industrial and commercial applications subject to harsh environmental conditions such as railcar coatings, bridges, flooring topcoats, tunnels and light poles.

Called polyaspartic aliphatic coating technology, it is based on aliphatic polyisocyanates and aliphatic diamines (polyaspartic esters). Polyaspartic coatings offer many benefits over previous coating methods including increased speed of cure, increased film build, good weather characteristics, and excellent corrosion protection. In addition, polyaspartic coatings can be formulated to be nearly free of VOCs, thereby meeting various pollution-protection standards.

During a recent project to widen the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, the state of California selected polyaspartic coating technology to provide a non-yellowing, fast-drying topcoat to their long-term protective coating system. Ed Squiller, Technical Manager - Construction and Maintenance Coatings for Bayer, describes the success of this real-life application.

"As part of a $113 million widening project by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), the bridge received the protective coating on new concrete structures, which is expected to prolong the bridge’s life by 25 percent," Squiller said. "The unique approach is intended to prevent salt water and saline fog from penetrating the concrete and corroding the

steel reinforcement bar (re-bar) that adds strength to the bridge." With the help of Bayer’s Polyaspartic coating process, CalTrans hopes to extend the bridge’s life by 25 to 125 years, enabling the bridge to serve the bay region for generations to come.

For more information about Polyaspartic coating technologies visit: www.PolyasparticCoatings.com.

With 23,000 employees at 120 sites around the world and 2002 sales of 10.8 billion euros, Bayer Polymers is a leader in the global industry of performance polymers. The company's materials and solutions are the backbone of modern life, serving primarily the automotive, construction, information technology, appliance, furniture as well as sports and leisure industries. As a member of the global Bayer Group, Bayer Polymers benefits from a wealth of resources while enjoying the flexibility to focus on its primary objective: to be the partner of choice in polymer materials.

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is the U.S. holding company of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 24,600 in North America with net North American sales of 8.9 billion euros in 2002. Our four operating business areas – HealthCare, CropScience, Polymers and Chemicals – produce a broad range of products that help diagnose and treat diseases, purify water, preserve local landmarks, protect crops, advance automobile safety and durability and improve people's lives.