I-Corps: Omniphobic Anodic Coatings

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是彻底改变金属制造和表面精加工中的阳极氧化工艺。由于各行各业对轻质耐用材料的需求不断增加，阳极氧化市场不断增长。2020年，全球阳极氧化行业估计超过15亿美元，预计年复合增长率为5%，到2030年将达到约30亿美元。采用阳极氧化工艺，可以使金属表面不仅光滑、无摩擦，而且不粘、耐腐蚀、抗生物污垢、防结冰/结霜。该技术可应用于各种金属，包括铝、钢、钛、铜和镁合金，从而广泛影响各种应用，包括海洋、航空航天、汽车、能源生产、建筑和医疗。其他潜在的应用包括食品加工设备、家用电器和体育用品，这些领域需要非粘性和耐腐蚀性。这项技术简单、经济、可扩展和环保，因此它可以很容易地应用于当前的工业制造过程，几乎不会改变实践和实践中的风险，具有广泛的金属材料和应用的巨大商业潜力。这个i-Corps项目基于新型阳极涂层的开发，这种涂层可以使金属表面无所不在，在固体和液体状态下都能抵抗各种类型的污垢和腐蚀剂。在制造业中，阳极氧化被广泛应用于改善表面性能和钝化金属表面以防止腐蚀。然而，阳极氧化过程产生的多孔层仍然容易腐蚀，因此气孔通常以固相形式填充防腐密封剂。然而，它们既不耐用，也不能自我修复。无所不包的阳极涂层是用空气或油等不溶于水的无腐蚀性润滑液填充毛孔。无所不包的阳极涂层使润滑液能够稳定地保持在纳米孔内，并具有自我修复能力，使润滑液不受损害。除了耐用性外，健康/环境危害和维护成本也是影响其商业化和广泛应用的关键因素。这种无所不在的阳极涂层不需要厚厚的涂层或添加剂，因为它基于原始金属表面的氧化，因此表面可以很容易地恢复或修复。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to revolutionize the anodizing process in manufacturing and surface finishing for metals. The anodizing market continuously grows due to the increasing demand for lightweight and durable materials in various industries. The global anodizing industry sector was estimated more than USD 1.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5%, reaching about USD 3 billion by 2030. Adapting the anodizing process, omniphobic anodic coatings can make the metallic surface not only slippery and frictionless but also non-sticky, anti-corrosive, anti-biofouling, and anti-icing/frosting. The technology can be applied to diverse metals including aluminum, steel, titanium, copper, and magnesium alloys, thus broadly impacting various applications including marine, aerospace, automotive, energy production, construction, and medical. Other potential applications include food processing equipment, home appliances, and sporting goods where non-stickiness and corrosion resistance are required. The technology is facile, economical, scalable, and eco-friendly so that it can readily be applied to current industrial manufacturing processes with little change and risk in their practices, having great commercialization potential for the broad range of metallic materials and applications.This I-Corps project is based on the development of novel anodic coatings that can make metallic surfaces omniphobic to repel various types of fouling and corrosive agents in both solid and fluid states. Anodizing has extensively been employed in manufacturing industry to improve surface properties and passivate the metallic surface from corrosion. However, the porous layer resulting from the anodizing process is still prone to corrosion so that the pores are typically filled with anti-corrosion sealants in a solid phase. However, they are neither durable nor self-repairable. The omniphobic anodic coating is to fill the pores with water-immiscible and non-corrosive lubricating fluid such as air or oil. The omniphobic anodic coating enables the stable retention of the lubricating fluid within the nanopores and the self-healing capability to restore the lubricating fluid against damages. In addition to the durability, health/environment hazards and maintenance cost are critical factors for commercialization and broad applications. The omniphobic anodic coating does not require thick coatings or additives, because it is based on the oxidation of the original metal surface, so that the surface can easily be restored or repaired.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.