High-performance polymers are at the heart of the energy transition and emerging technologies. As David Silagy, Vice President of R&D for High Performance Polymers at Arkema, shared at the DPI Spring Meeting 2026, materials play a central role in addressing global challenges. The secret? A deep understanding of the relationship between structure, process, and properties, across all scales. This approach doesn’t just drive innovation; it enables sustainable solutions that shape industries.
The triangle of materials, properties, and process
David Silagy described Arkema’s material design philosophy as a navigation of the “famous triangle of materials, properties, and process.” This means:
- Combining properties of different materials to achieve multi-functional performance (e.g., lightweight foams, multi-layer packaging).
- Designing materials from the bottom up (nanoscale thermodynamics) and top down (process-induced design).
- Structuring at multiple scales, from nanometers to millimeters, to create complex, functional materials for applications like lithium batteries, hydrogen storage, and gas separation membranes.
As Silagy noted:
We navigate this triangle to provide performance that serves sustainability… to make complex functional materials and enable clean mobility, energy storage, and more.
Sustainable solutions through collaboration
Arkema’s innovations – such as bio-based polymers and solvent-free processes -demonstrate how sustainable material solutions can be achieved. But the key to success? Collaboration. Silagy emphasised that progress in these areas requires a threesome:
- Academia (fundamental research)
- Industry (application expertise)
- Manufacturers (process knowledge)
This close interaction bridges the gap between scientific discovery and industrial deployment, ensuring that high-performance polymers meet both technical and sustainability goals.
DPI’s role: connecting science and industry
At DPI, our projects explore high-performance materials and their role in sustainable innovation. By bringing together industry and academia, we foster the pre-competitive research needed to advance structure-process-property relationships. The insight created today becomes a building block for future materials and processes that drive energy transition, clean mobility, and circular solutions.
Learn more about DPI’s programmes or contact us to discuss partnerships: