SBIR Phase II: A Cost-effective, Environmentally-responsible Alternative to Toxic Metal Coatings

SBIR 第二阶段：有毒金属涂层的经济高效、对环境负责的替代品

• 批准号: 1660132
• 负责人: David Luebke
• 金额: $ 74.13万
• 依托单位: LumiShield Technologies Incorporated
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-03-15 至 2021-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1660132&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Cost; effective

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will address a pressing need for more environmentally responsible coating alternatives in the anti-corrosion market through the commercialization of a novel aluminum-based coating. If successfully commercialized, the aluminum electroplating process will displace multiple existing anti-corrosion coatings, which are based on toxic metals. The current market for these coatings is valued at $10 billion annually. The replacement of the toxic metals with aluminum will eliminate their release into the environment. The process is also expected to be less expensive than the incumbent technologies. The reduction in cost arises from decreases in plating solution, waste treatment, and metal costs. By decreasing the cost of corrosion-resistant coatings, it may also be possible to reduce the flow of plating jobs to less environmentally responsible areas overseas. For the aerospace industry, which is the initial target market, the availability of the process will mean safer conditions for workers, less environmental impact, and lower costs. In the process of addressing these needs in the coatings market, the research will elucidate a variety of interesting phenomena associated with electroplating of highly active metal species.The intellectual merit of this project is associated with its exploration of aqueous electroplating of highly active metals in the presence of atmospheric moisture and oxygen. Typically, electroplating of aluminum has taken place from organic solvents such as toluene at elevated temperatures under an inert purge. The expense and difficulty in scaling this technology has prevented its adoption for many applications, which might make good use of aluminum coatings. The goal of the project will be to overcome the technical challenges in scaling-up an aqueous aluminum electroplating process for producing aluminum coatings. Challenges to be addressed include mass transfer, current distribution, and coating quality control in industrial-scale plating baths. To address these challenges, the project team will work closely with partners in the electroplating industry, ultimately demonstrating the technology at scale in a working commercial plating shop.

这个小型企业创新研究阶段II阶段项目将通过新颖的基于铝制的涂层的商业化来解决反腐蚀市场中对环境负责的涂层替代方案的紧迫需求。 如果成功商业化，铝电镀工艺将取代基于有毒金属的多种现有抗腐蚀涂层。 这些涂料的当前市场每年价值100亿美元。 用铝代替有毒金属将消除其释放到环境中。 预计该过程的价格将比现有技术便宜。 成本降低是由于电镀解决方案，废物处理和金属成本的下降。 通过降低耐腐蚀涂料的成本，也有可能将镀金工作的流动减少到海外对环境负责的地区。 对于最初的目标市场（航空航天行业），该过程的可用性将意味着工人的安全条件，较小的环境影响和降低的成本。在解决涂料市场中这些需求的过程中，该研究将阐明与高活性金属物种电镀相关的各种有趣现象。该项目的智力优点与探索其对高活性金属在高度活性金属中的探索有关大气水分和氧气的存在。 通常，铝的电镀是从有机溶剂（例如均等温度净化下的甲苯）中进行的。 扩展这项技术的费用和困难阻止了其在许多应用中的采用，这可能会充分利用铝涂层。 该项目的目的是克服在生产铝制涂层的水性铝电镀过程中的技术挑战。 要解决的挑战包括在工业规模的电镀浴场中的传质，当前分布和涂料质量控制。 为了应对这些挑战，项目团队将与电镀行业的合作伙伴紧密合作，最终在一家工作的商业电镀店中展示了规模的技术。