I-Corps: Super-slick Coatings for the Handling of Viscous Fluids in Extreme Environments

I-Corps：用于在极端环境下处理粘性流体的超光滑涂层

• 批准号: 1926959
• 负责人: Sarbajit Banerjee
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-06-15 至 2020-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1926959&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Super; slick; Coatings; Handling

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project derives from the anticipated reduction of energy consumption and cleaning expenditures incurred by any industry dealing with the handling of viscous liquids. The technology that is the focus of this project is a thin-film coating that is repellant to both water and oil and can withstand high temperatures. Such coatings are expected to find broad applicability in oil tankers, railcars, and trucks used to transport viscous fuels. The coatings will bring end-users considerable benefits in terms of reduced cleaning and repair costs while enabling improved energy efficiency and reducing the volume of fluids discarded during transportation. The technology is further of relevance to the design of nozzles for additive manufacturing, the processing of nuclear waste streams, and the robotic handling of specialty chemicals. In all of these applications, the coating will allow for viscous fluids to be delivered without adhesion and contamination of surfaces and with the added benefit of protecting the underlying substrate from corrosion. Benefits to society will include more efficient fuel utilization and reduced exposure of workers to potentially hazardous substances.This I-Corps project is based on research that has led to the development of thermally robust and highly textured coatings that readily glide both water and viscous oil droplets. Nature has an abundance of surfaces that are not wetted by water droplets (e.g., lotus leaves or shark skin); however, surfaces that are not wetted by low-surface-tension liquids, such as oils, do not exist in nature. This project is based on coatings that in laboratory tests are not wetted by either oil or water. The extreme non-wettability of these surfaces derives from the creation of thermally robust three-dimensional texturation spanning multiple length scales within ultra-thin metal or ceramic films, which gives rise to an interconnected network of trapped air pockets. Grafting molecules with intrinsically low wettability onto the surfaces of porous films yields extended surfaces that are non-wettable by water or oil.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.

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力来自于任何处理粘性液体的行业所产生的能源消耗和清洁支出的预期减少。该项目的重点技术是一种薄膜涂层，既防水又防油，并能承受高温。这种涂料有望在用于运输粘性燃料的油罐车、有轨车和卡车中找到广泛的适用性。这些涂料将为最终用户带来可观的好处，降低清洁和维修成本，同时提高能源效率，减少运输过程中丢弃的液体量。该技术还与增材制造喷嘴的设计、核废料流的处理以及特种化学品的机器人处理相关。在所有这些应用中，涂层将允许输送粘性流体，而不会粘附和污染表面，并且具有保护下面的基底免受腐蚀的额外益处。对社会的好处将包括更有效地利用燃料和减少工人接触潜在的危险物质。这个I-Corps项目是基于一项研究，该研究导致了热稳定性和高度纹理涂层的开发，这些涂层易于使水和粘性油滴滑动。自然界有大量不被水滴润湿的表面（例如，荷叶或鲨鱼皮）;然而，自然界中不存在不被低表面张力液体（例如油）润湿的表面。该项目基于在实验室测试中不被油或水润湿的涂层。这些表面的极端非润湿性来自于在超薄金属或陶瓷膜内跨越多个长度尺度的热鲁棒三维纹理的产生，这产生了被困气穴的互连网络。将低润湿性的分子接枝到多孔薄膜的表面上，可获得不被水或油润湿的扩展表面。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。