Fueling the future: Materials to empower aerospace and defense

The Electric Vertical Take-offs and Landings (eVTOLs) necessary for urban air mobility carry a much higher power demand – approximately 2-3x peak power for as long as 90 seconds – than ordinary EV car batteries currently supply. To meet this need will require a more efficient use of energy and a higher battery energy density – both challenges that Albemarle has been making progress towards solving.

Aircraft manufacturers are increasingly turning to lighter and stronger lithium-containing alloys for their strength, durability and lightweight properties. Lithium aluminum alloys containing 1-3% of the weight of lithium are used in fuselage, fuselage beam, lower wing and upper wing structures. These materials can generate weight savings of 5%, increased stiffness up to 7%, and increased strength of up to 30% relative to conventional non-lithium containing aluminum alloys.

Modern aircraft features anywhere from 70 to 300 miles of wire and cable as well as growing amounts of advanced polymers for various components. Aerospace manufacturers can benefit from Albemarle fire safety solutions, which are intended to meet stringent flame retardant standards to protect wire and cable, polymer components and even textiles. Navigators and passengers can fly with increased comfort that their aircraft is better protected from smoke and fire hazards.

Sensitive materials – such as complex circuit boards, optical equipment, aerospace and automotive parts – benefit from Albemarle’s high-performance cleaning solvents, which are intended for a variety of vapor degreasing, cold and ultrasonic cleaning applications. Our solutions are low Global Warming Potential and low Ozone Depletion Potential and are compatible with metals to reduce the risk of corrosion, making them ideal for cleaning delicate components in electronics, medical devices and precision engineering.

Albemarle’s flame retardant solutions are essential for the wiring and electrical connectivity required in circuit boards used in aviation and aerospace environments. In addition, our high-performance precision cleaning solvents are used for circuit board vapor degreasing, cold cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning, and are easy to recycle, compatible with metals and less likely to cause corrosion than many other solvents.