Background

Each year, corrosion contributes to significant loss of materials ‑ and, subsequently, economic losses across many industrial sectors. Metal coating is a commonly applied technique to combat this corrosion, and research continues into formulating a composition that is affordable, safe for the environment, and also an effective barrier in the most aggressive environments.

Technology Overview

Researchers at the University of Hawaii have developed a thin, hard, silane‑based barrier “SiloGel” coating to protect metals such as aluminum from corrosion. The coating composition contains eco‑friendly ingredients and has a low viscosity, enabling easy application without special training or instrumentation required. The SiloGel remains impervious in aggressive environments, resists delamination, and imparts excellent scratch resistance, UV light protection, anti‑biofouling, anti‑microbial and self‑cleaning characteristics as a coating.

Benefits

Safe, environmentally friendly formulation
Cures in ambient conditions
Transparent yet impervious barrier that will not delaminate
Easy to apply on surfaces with crevices or otherwise difficult to coat
Can be used as standalone coating, or as a topcoat or undercoat
Enhances the lifespan of existing materials

Applications

Use cases for this technology are far and wide. Some examples include:

Solar panel metal frames
Commercial paints and coatings
Space craft materials
Flame retardant coating
Paint restoration
Protection blanket for plastics and composites against UV light degradation
Self‑cleaning (finger print mark resistant)

Inter-penetrating "SiloGel" for Corrosion Control

Patents

IP Status

Seeking