Superhydrophobic Surface Coatings Against Corrosion
Andrew K. Jones,
Vinod Sikka, Ph.D, Michael Hurley, Ph.D.
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Our Experts
• Ross Director of Research & Development – Dr. Vinod K. Sikka – Manager of Research & Development, Materials Science Division, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL)
– Over 43 patents
– Over 200 publications
– Inventor of the Year in 2007 (over 4,000 scientists)
– Scientist of the Year in 2007
– 1982-2010 – 14 R&D 100 Awards!
– 2006 TMS Application to Practice Award
– ORNL Corporate Fellow
– ASTM International Fellow
– Ph.D. in Material Science, University of Cincinnati
– M.S. in Materials Science, University of Cincinnati
– B.E. in Metallurgy, Indian Institute of Science, India
– B.S. in Chemistry, Delhi University, India
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Our Experts
• Ross Senior Chemist – Dr. Michael F. Hurley
– Senior Development Scientist, Polyurethane Division, Bayer Material Science
– Senior Process Chemist, Mobay Chemical
– Over 12 patents
– Over 20 publications
– Post-Doctoral Scholar, University of Michigan
– Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Tennessee
– B.S. in Chemistry, Fairfield University
– Applied Rheology and Polymer Processing, Virginia Tech
– Polymer Chemistry: Principles and Practices, Virginia Tech
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Outline
• Background
• Attributes of Ross Coatings
• Recent Advances in Technology
• Examples of Coating Application
• Application Methods
• In-field Experience
• Testing Equipment at ROSS for these Coatings
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Hydrophobic/Hydrophillic Contact Angle
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Ross’ Superhydrophobic Coatings (NeverWet™) • Nearly perfect, spherical beads of water shown on
Aluminum-coated surface with NeverWet™
– Water Bead is Nearly a Perfect Sphere
– Make a Contact Angle with Surface between 150-180°
– Water Bead Glides over the Surface like Gliding over Ice
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Superhydrophobic Contact Angles
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The contact angles of a Superhydrophobic surface is where the water droplet exceeds 150° and the roll-off angle is less than 10°. This is also referred to as the Lotus effect.
Here are the contact angles of water on various surfaces:
• NeverWet Coatings: 160 to 175˚
• Teflon (cooking pan): 110˚
• Rain-X: 95˚
• Freshly waxed car: 90˚
Anti-acid, Alkali, Salts
• Aqueous Solutions of Acids, Alkalis, and Salts Bead Up Similar to Water and Cause No Wetting
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Note: Pictures shown for 50% solution magnesium chloride salt.
Anti-Heavy Oils
• Ross-coated Surfaces Resist Vegetable Oils, Mineral Oils, or Any Other Heavy Oils as well as they Resist Water
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Anti-Wetting
• Ross Coated Panel was Dry after being Submerged for 12 Months in Seawater
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Anti-Wetting and Breathable Fabric • Ross coating produces a non-wetting and
breathable fabric
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Anti-Corrosion
• Ross has demonstrated in Salt-Fog testing that these coatings survive 4 to 10 times as long as similar coatings without Ross prior to showing any corrosion
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NeverWet I Coating after 400 h
Anti-Corrosion
• 2000 hours of Salt Fog testing on Ross coating as compared to Polyurethane, an 8x improvement
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Polyurethane NeverWet
Anti-Corrosion
• In-field exposure of a coated plate after 24 months
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License Plate on Pick-up Truck
(a) 1575 highway miles
(b) 3458 highway plus town miles
(c) Oil droplets on SH plate
(d) Water droplets on SH plate
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Note: Truck was driven at average speeds of 60-62 miles/h with peak speeds of 68 miles. Coating was not affected by those speeds, pouring down rains, and exhaust from other vehicles on the highways.
Anti-Icing
• While no testing has been done on air foils, Ross has demonstrated numerous other applications (mostly for utilities) where ice will not form on these surfaces
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Coated Uncoated
Anti-Icing
• Antenna dish after a night of freezing rain
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Anti-Icing
• Close-up view of the coated dish area
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Anti-Icing
• Close-up view of the uncoated dish area
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Anti-Condensation
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• A Steel Turbine Cascade Coated with Ross Superhydrophobic Coating was Tested in Wind Tunnel at 68 Miles/Hr under Water Condensing Conditions to Simulate Steam Turbine Condensing Conditions
• Ross coating was the only one that showed no condensed water film formation as opposed to three other commercial coatings.
Self-Cleaning
• While Solids can Set on these Surfaces, Any Rain or Light Water Almost Always Cleans them Completely
(a) Start up cleaning
(b) Cleaning in progress
(c) Cleaning continues
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Anti-Bacterial
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NeverWet surfaces are great for: • Hospital applications • Bathroom applications • House siding where mold and
fungus grows • Very wet environments where
bacteria thrive
Bacteria are just about everywhere, but they team in impure water, where they have ample food.
Anti-Bacterial
Our first application of NeverWet coatings was with hospital applications (bed pans, toilet plungers, etc), and we did extensive bacterial testing as a part of this process. We tested our surfaces in extremely polluted waters. As virtually no water ever touches our surfaces, virtually no bacteria remain. As a result, these surfaces have proven to be extremely anti-bacterial.
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Anti-Spill
Hydrophilic/hydrophobic combination to dreate spill-proof glass sufrace
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Anti-Spill
Side view showing water height that is possible with hydrophilic/hydrophobic combination
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Anti-Spill
Ross glass border technology is in commercial use through our licensee
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Other Applications
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Ross SH coatings in electric motors
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Other Applications
Note: One switch has been in service for almost one year with no unexpected shutdown.
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Electrical emergency switches internally coated with Ross SH coating prevent arcing in food processor industry applications
Other Applications
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Ross SH coatings on submerged microelectronics
Next Generation of Advances in Rub Durability of SH Technology at Ross
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Ross Yields 200X Improvement in Taber Cycles as Opposed to Competitive Data Generated at Ross
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Taber Cycles as a Function of Thickness for NeverWet-NuO SH Coating
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Durable
• NeverWet™ coatings have proven durable through a variety of tests:
– Salt-fog testing (> 1200 hours)
– Saltwater submersion (> 400 days)
– Aqueous solutions of acids, alkalis and salts (up to 50%)
– Extreme temperatures (> 1 year at 450ºF and transients of 550ºF)
– Bending (>120 degree bend after 400ºF thermal cycle)
– Drag reduction testing (30% drag reduction for < 10 ft/s)
– Taber
• minimum 500 tabers for 25 micron coating
• minimum 1100 tabers for 50 micron coating
• minimum 1750 tabers for 75 micron coating
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Other Attributes
• Various color options are possible with Ross’ SH/OP Coatings
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Other Attributes
• SH Coatings resist debonding or flaking
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Note: Dipped in liquid N2 and bent at room temperature with frequent dips.
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Other Attributes
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NeverWet-NuO NeverWet-I
• Aluminum-coated plates (NeverWet NuO and I) after 1 hour of thermal exposure
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Other Attributes
• Aluminum-coated plates (NeverWet NuO and I) after 1 hour of thermal exposure at 550, 600 and 700º F
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NeverWet-NuO NeverWet-I
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Simple and Complex Shapes can be Coated
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Mounting Hole
Large Test Specimen Anti-slip Surface
Overhead Transmission Cable Condenser Section of Steam Turbine Section
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Other Attributes
• Ross’ SH coating can produce filtration screens where gases can pass through, but not water or other aqueous liquids
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Coated Screen
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Other Attributes
• Mud testing with aluminum plate coated with Ross’ SH coating
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Dipped in Mud Uncoated Coated
Note: No mud sticks to coated side of plate.
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Other Attributes
• NeverWet Coatings have Proven Durable through a Variety of Tests: – Salt-fog testing (>2500 hours)
– Saltwater submersion (>400 days)
– Aqueous solutions of acids, alkalis and salts (up to 50%)
– Extreme temperatures (>1 year at 450ºF and transients of 550ºF)
– Bending (>120 degree bend after 400ºF thermal cycle)
– Drag reduction testing (30% drag reduction for <10 ft/s)
– Taber
• Minimum 500 tabers for 25 micron coating
• Minimum 1100 tabers for 50 micron coating
• Minimum 2000 tabers for 75 micron coating
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Equipment at Ross
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Equipment at Ross
Salt fog testing
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Existing Applications/Trials
• Industrial applications – Electronics (computers / laptops
/ cell phones)
– Electrical switches
– Motors
– Power transmission lines
– Packaging
– Food processing
– Commercial/industrial buildings
– Fabrics
– Automotive
– Aviation
– Others
• Medical/Anti-bacterial applications – Catheters
– Bedpans
– Dentistry products
– Mirrors
– Hospital equipment
– Others
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Existing Applications/Trials
• Military applications – Clothing
– Tentage
– Missiles
– Aviation
– Others
• Consumer applications – Refrigerators
– Plungers
– Clothing
– Outdoor furniture
– Others
• Other applications – Self-cleaning buildings
– Bridges
– Many others
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Summary
• Ross Technology has Developed High Durability Superhydrophobic and Oleophobic Coatings
• Several Applications have been Tested
• We Look Forward to Customer Feedback and Questions
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Contact Information: 717-207-8155 866-383-7066
For more information, please contact us
Thank you for your Time & Consideration
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