Shanghai, China — Lubrizol, a global leader in specialty chemicals, today announced the inauguration of the Lubrizol Innovation Center - Shanghai at its Songjiang manufacturing site. The center will serve as an innovation hub for Lubrizol in the Asia Pacific region to accelerate innovation, deepen customer collaboration and drive cross‑industry co‑creation.

At the inauguration, Lubrizol introduced two important innovations: Tolerathane™ thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for implantable medical devices, and a portfolio of innovative solutions for pharmaceutical applications. These new offerings will continue to support technological breakthroughs and market growth in high‑growth sectors, such as healthcare and medical applications.

“The Lubrizol Innovation Center-Shanghai marks a pivotal milestone in strengthening our regional innovation capabilities and advancing localization to meet the diverse needs of the Asia Pacific market,” said Henry Liu, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Lubrizol. “More than an advanced R&D facility, the center is a collaborative platform designed to enable cross‑industry collaboration and breakthrough innovation. By combining global technology and experience with local insights and talent, we look forward to working closely with our partners to deliver sustainable solutions that improve well-being and enhance modern life.”

Lubrizol Innovation Center-Shanghai: A Strong Foundation for Local Innovation

The Innovation Center integrates enhanced laboratory capabilities with Lubrizol’s deep global technical expertise to deliver market‑oriented and high‑value innovation solutions for industries such as mobility, infrastructure, electronics, sports and fashion, beauty and personal care, and healthcare.

Complemented by Lubrizol’s broader Asia Pacific innovation network, including its Southeast Asia Innovation Center and Footwear Application Development Center of Excellence, these facilities form a market-proximate innovation ecosystem that accelerates localization and enables local innovations to scale internationally.

New Medical-Grade Material for Next-Generation Implantable Devices

Lubrizol formally introduced Tolerathane™ thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a new medical-grade material engineered to address the evolving demands of implantable medical devices. The material delivers significant advancements in biostability, softness, and design flexibility for medical TPU.

Tolerathane™ TPU delivers excellent resistance to oxidation and hydrolysis in harsh biological conditions while maintaining mechanical resilience and superior softness even at the softest durometers. It integrates seamlessly with standard thermoplastics processing and offers tunability for optimized performance, enabling thinner wall designs that support device miniaturization and greater design flexibility.

As a thermoplastic alternative to silicone, Tolerathane™ TPU performance attributes closely align with the technical requirements of neuromodulation & cardiac leads, structural heart implants, percutaneous catheters and cables, and implanted textiles - helping advance the next generation of implantable medical device innovation.

Innovative Solutions Empowering the Pharmaceutical Industry

In addition, Lubrizol offers innovative Carbopol® polymer solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, centered on proven bio-adhesion technology. In ophthalmic, nasal, oral, and other mucosal drug delivery applications, conventional formulations often face limitations, such as short residence time and low bioavailability, which can restrict therapeutic efficacy, increase dosing frequency, and negatively impact patient adherence.

Widely recognized as industry-leading bio-adhesive materials, Carbopol® polymers can significantly extend drug impact, helping improve the effectiveness and safety of localized therapies. Leveraging deep expertise in material science and formulation design, Lubrizol provides high-performance materials and comprehensive technical support to advance drug delivery and formulation development - supporting pharmaceutical companies in overcoming R&D challenges and accelerating the commercialization of innovative localized drug delivery systems.

Lubrizol’s Shanghai Innovation Center Accelerates Innovation, Collaboration Across Asia Pacific