HYGRATEK LLC — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: N14A-T013

Description

In this Phase I effort, HygraTek will explore a novel anti-ice coating formulation to develop icephobic surfaces for naval ship superstructures, decks, equipment and vehicles on board naval ships, e.g. fighter jets, helicopters etc. HygraTek has recently developed a series of different environmentally safe, non-fluorinated, transparent, icephobic coatings. These coatings display the lowest ice-adhesion strength values (force per unit area required to slide ice of a surface) that have ever been reported (< 20 kPa), and can be spray or dip-coated onto any substrate including aluminum, steel, alloys, glass, and wood. HygraTek has also partnered with CRREL (a DOD testing facility) to carry out rigorous tests to independently evaluate the performance of their icephobic coatings. These include zero degree cone, temperature stability and ice adhesion tests. The icephobic coatings will possess the following characteristics: Thin film icephobic coating for 40C Average ice adhesion strength < 20 kPa (237 kPa for Teflon) Can be easily applied by contractors Transparent coating (>99 % transmission) with excellent durability Minimal maintenance, and inexpensive compared to other products currently in market Water repellent; resistant to corrosion, mild acids, UV, solar exposure, organisms and organic phosphates Not harmful for aquatic animals; negligible risk for water pollution