The Solar Impulse project, which involves flying a solar-powered aircraft around the world in 25 days, has named Bayer Material Science as its new official partner.
Bayer will support the initiative with technical expertise, high-tech polymer materials and energy-saving lightweight products.
It could also provide other potential applications including adhesives, polyurethane rigid foams for panelling in the cockpit and engine, and thin polycarbonate film and sheet for the cockpit glazing.
The 1,600kg prototype has the wingspan of a large airliner with 12,000 solar cells on its surface to run four electrical engines and store solar energy in lithium batteries for after-sunset missions.
The Solvay group, Omega and Deutsche Bank are the main partners of the project with Bayer and Altran as the official partners and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne as the official scientific partner.
Solar Impulse has undergone test flights and is scheduled to take its flight in 2013 across the world.
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