Academic and Industry Use Cases for High-Quality Chemical Products

Although we’ve been in business for decades, Strem Catalog and Ascensus Specialties can’t remember a more exciting time to be making chemicals. The opportunity for chemistry to help solve some of the world’s pressing challenges — from energy shortages to lifesaving healthcare — is unprecedented.  

As researchers make groundbreaking innovations in the way we use chemicals to improve lives, we’re motivated to continuously expand our catalog of specialty and niche chemicals. Here are some of the diverse innovations and use cases the Strem Catalog works to support both academic research and commercial applications. 

Academic applications 

The Strem Catalog’s high-purity chemicals, including catalysts, ligands, and organometallics, are essential for researchers in life sciences, materials science, electronics, and related fields. These products facilitate the synthesis of new compounds, the study of chemical reactions, and the development of novel materials.  

For example, rhodium nanoparticles use cases continue to grow exponentially. This expensive metal, valued for its catalytic reaction potential, has traditionally been used in catalytic converters for motor vehicles. Academic researchers continue to explore an ever-expanding number of use cases for rhodium in nanoparticle form, including as an antibacterial medicine to treat drug-resistant bacterial skin infections, and for photodynamic therapies to treat cancer. 

High-purity inorganics are specialized compounds that are highly sought after by academic researchers for R&D purposes. As one example, researchers continue to study the potential for conductive oxides in the production of semiconductor devices. Gallium oxide offers a band gap of 4.8 electron volts, more than four times the band gap of silicon, which has long been a material used in microelectronics. Gallium oxide may become the go-to material for producing high voltage power electronics such as semiconductors, and even optoelectronics devices for spacecrafts.  

Phosphine ligands are ideal for researchers conducting cross-coupling reactions due to their flexibility and ability to bind to metals, which leads to precise and reproducible experiments. One promising area of research involving phosphine ligands is the development of agrochemicals that are more environmentally sustainable. Because researchers can modify the steric and electronic properties of phosphine ligands, they can develop catalysts that use less energy and “greener” processes. This could lead to more sustainable chemicals for the agrochemical industry, such as fertilizers and pesticides. 

Academic laboratories use Strem Catalog products for teaching and training purposes, along with research and development. Students gain hands-on experience in chemical synthesis and analysis.  

Industry vertical applications 

Chemical sciences have become integral to some of the most innovative and fastest-growing industries in today’s marketplace. The Strem Catalog partners with these leaders to ensure teams have what they need to make reproducible, reliable products. 

For the pharmaceutical industry, the Strem Catalog provides critical research and development components, including catalysts for drug synthesis. Photocatalysis, as an example, holds significant potential for drug discovery. Photocatalyst compounds, such as iridium-based complexes, have gained attention due to their potential efficacy in controlling tumor growth. Overall Ascensus Specialties has many options to serve the pharmaceutical industry, including custom synthesis and cGMP manufacturing services for high-potency APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients). 

Microelectronics is another industry where the pace of innovation is faster than ever. The Strem Catalog team has more than 60 years of experience in manufacturing inorganic and organometallic chemicals. We offer more than 500 metal precursors for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD), which are essential processes in the manufacturing of semiconductors and electronic devices.  

The petrochemical industry, which refines crude oil into valuable products such as plastics, fertilizers, and synthetic rubber, is undergoing transformative advancements. Petrochemical polymers, for example, have enormous potential and are increasingly used in sectors like automotive manufacturing to produce lightweight and durable components that reduce emissions. The Strem Catalog’s catalysts and ligands are used in various petrochemical processes, including organic synthesis, polymerization, and catalysis.  

Materials science, a multidisciplinary field that involves physics and engineering in addition to chemistry, is one of the fastest-growing segments supplied by the Strem Catalog. Many of our materials science products are used in energy applications, such as photovoltaics, solid-state lighting, battery applications, and fuel cell catalysis (an area ripe for chemical discovery). The Strem Catalog includes products such as proton exchange membrane fuel cell electrocatalysts that can produce high electrochemical activity needed for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. 

For other specialties, the Strem Catalog also provides metal foils, wires, powders, and other metal-based chemical products for a wide variety of specialty applications. 

Chemicals to meet every innovation challenge 

Some of the most impactful recent technological breakthroughs — from drug therapy discoveries to advancements in semiconductor technologies for supercomputing to the development of fuel cell and battery technology — have an essential chemical reaction at their core. At the Strem Catalog, our mission is to continue to supply the chemical products that support these academic and industrial applications. As chemistry continues to evolve, the Strem Catalog and Ascensus Specialties will continue evolving with it, providing high quality, hard to get chemicals.  

Want to learn more about why the Strem Catalog is the preferred choice for industrial and research applications?  Explore our product catalog.