SBIR Phase II: Transparent Flexible Quasi-Ceramic Intelligent Multifunctional Coatings for Corrosion and Biofouling Protection

该SBIR二期项目旨在开发一种透明、薄的多功能涂层并将其商业化，用于涂层表面的腐蚀和生物污垢预防。其环保产品将是一种高效、即用的单组分产品，可以轻松应用，并可在环境条件下干燥，不需要外部加热设备。全球每年用于缓解腐蚀的支出约为2.5万亿美元，大致相当于全球GDP的3.4%。因此，保护资产不受腐蚀是所有行业的一项关键要求。广泛的应用可以从这种涂层技术中受益，例如在航空工业中，从涂层程序中去除有毒铬化合物是高度优先的；在汽车制造业中，不断寻求将腐蚀保护扩展到车辆而不使用有毒处理；在结构工程中，一直需要为桥梁提供长寿命保护；在海洋工程中，在长期寻求保护船舶免受腐蚀且不会造成生态平衡的情况下；在军事工程中，在最大限度地减少坦克和枪支的维护停机时间是至关重要的；在医院中，对更持久的医疗植入物感兴趣；在涂料和涂料工业中，希望从其油漆和涂料中去除挥发性有机成分。除了防腐外，拟议的涂层还有望提供耐刮擦和憎油特性。该项目的初步成功将导致两个大批量产品。该项目旨在开发一种专门的单组分、即用型生物陶瓷液体涂层，用于防止腐蚀和污垢活动。在所需的表面上涂抹时，这种透明液体会转变为坚硬而又柔软的涂层。这种薄的涂层组合物由在聚倍半硅氧烷的3D网络中就地生成的有机金属化合物纳米颗粒组成。前驱体对涂层的反应性是这样设计的，即材料可以在环境条件下与基材反应，并在不需要任何外部加热的情况下干燥成固体薄膜。硬化涂层可以附着在大多数表面，包括金属、陶瓷、塑料、玻璃和木材。涂层的最佳厚度约为10微米，并且可以赋予被涂层物体各种所需的表面功能。在该项目中，致力于优化当前的组成，以与广泛的商业面漆材料兼容。优化的涂层成分将在第三方测试、验证和批准之前进行快速性能筛选。将与潜在客户合作进行广泛的现场测试。这项创新的涂层技术最初将产生两种产品，可以用来取代目前用于金属腐蚀保护的致癌六价铬化合物。其中一种产品将作为一种防腐化合物，可以附着在商业面漆上，另一种产品将作为自清洁涂料，以防止生物污垢活动。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This SBIR Phase II project aims to develop and commercialize a transparent, thin multifunctional coating for corrosion and biofouling prevention on coated surface. Its environmentally friendly product will be an efficient ready-to-use single component product that can be applied with ease, and would dry in ambient conditions without the need for external heating equipment. The global annual expenditure to mitigate corrosion is in the range of $2.5 trillion, roughly equal to 3.4% of the world's GDP. Protecting assets from corrosion is, hence, a critical requirement for all the industries. A broad range of applications can benefit from this coating technology such as aviation industry where removal of toxic chromium compounds from coating procedures is of high priority, automobile manufacturing where extended corrosion protection to vehicles without using toxic treatments is constantly sought, structural engineering where providing long life protection to bridges is always needed, marine engineering where protecting ships from corrosion and not contributing to ecological imbalance is long sought, military where minimizing the maintenance downtime of tanks and guns is of prime importance, hospitals that are interested in longer lasting medical implants, and paints and coating industry that is desiring removal of volatile organic components from their paints and coatings. The proposed coating is expected to offer scratch resistance and oleophobic characteristics in addition to corrosion protection. The initial success of this project will result in two high-volume products.This project aims to develop a specialized single-part, ready-to-use, nominally bioceramic liquid coating for protection against corrosion and fouling activities. On application over desired surface, this transparent liquid transforms into hard-yet-flexible coating. This thin coating composition consists of in-place generated nanoparticles of organometallic compounds in the 3D network of polysilsesquioxane. The reactivity of the precursor to coating is designed such that material can react with substrates in ambient conditions and dries to solid film without the need of any external heating. The hardened coating adheres to most surfaces including metals, ceramics, plastics, glasses, and wood. The optimum thickness of coating is approximately ten microns and can impart various desired surface functionalities to the coated object. In this project, efforts are directed towards optimization of current composition to be compatible with broad range of commercially available topcoat materials. The optimized coating composition will be subjected to a rapid properties screening before third party testing, validation and approvals. An extensive field testing will be conducted in collaboration with potential customers. This innovative coating technology will initially result into two products that can be used in place of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium compounds that are currently in use for the corrosion protection of metals. While one of the products would act as a corrosion prevention compound that can adhere to commercial topcoat paints, the other would act as self-cleaning coating to prevent biofouling activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.