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

该SBIR二期项目旨在开发和商业化一种透明、薄的多功能涂层，用于涂层表面的腐蚀和生物污损预防。其环保产品将是一种高效的即用型单组分产品，可以轻松应用，并且可以在环境条件下干燥，而无需外部加热设备。全球每年用于减缓腐蚀的支出在2.5万亿美元的范围内，大约相当于世界GDP的3.4%。因此，保护资产免受腐蚀是所有行业的关键要求。广泛的应用可以受益于这种涂层技术，例如航空工业，其中从涂层过程中去除有毒铬化合物是高度优先的，汽车制造，其中不断寻求对车辆的扩展腐蚀保护而不使用有毒处理，结构工程，其中始终需要为桥梁提供长寿命保护，海洋工程，其中保护船舶免受腐蚀并且不造成生态失衡是长期寻求的，军事，其中最小化坦克和枪支的维护停机时间是首要的，医院对更持久的医疗植入物感兴趣，以及需要从其油漆和涂料中除去挥发性有机组分的油漆和涂料工业。所提出的涂层预计提供耐刮擦性和疏油特性，除了腐蚀保护。该项目的初步成功将产生两个大批量产品。该项目旨在开发一种专门的单组分、即用型、标称生物陶瓷液体涂层，用于防止腐蚀和污垢活动。在所需表面上的应用，这种透明的液体转化为硬而灵活的涂层。这种薄涂层组合物由聚倍半硅氧烷3D网络中原位生成的有机金属化合物纳米颗粒组成。前体对涂层的反应性被设计成使得材料可以在环境条件下与基材反应并干燥成固体膜而不需要任何外部加热。硬化涂层可粘附于大多数表面，包括金属、陶瓷、塑料、玻璃和木材。涂层的最佳厚度约为十微米，可以为涂层物体赋予各种所需的表面功能。在该项目中，努力针对当前组合物的优化，以与广泛的市售面漆材料相容。优化后的涂料组合物将在第三方测试、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。这种创新的涂层技术最初将产生两种产品，可用于替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，以防止生物污染活动。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。

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.