For More Information
E-mail:
solutions@lunainnovations.com
Phone:
1.540.552.5128 (Blacksburg)
Water droplets beading up on a Lotus leaf.
Technologies at Luna Innovations
Ultrahydrophobic Coatings
Producing surfaces that repel water (hydrophobic) offers huge opportunities in the areas of corrosion protection for metal components, moisture and stain-resistant fabrics, biofouling for marine vehicles, microelectromechanical systems, anti-graffiti coatings, among many other applications. Luna Innovations is developing ultrahydrophobic coatings that are simple to apply using conventional techniques, and are cost-effective for widespread use in military and commercial applications. Luna's ultrahydrophobic coating technologies are being developed to offer improved corrosion resistance on aluminum and the ability to scale to large substrates (such as spray coating for aircraft). Luna's coatings could reduce maintenance, decrease life cycle costs, and increase readiness by limiting equipment down-time.
Biofouling--an attachment of undesired biomaterials, such as marine organisms, to a surface--is a general concern in the marine, biomedical and oil industries, among other fields. Marine biofouling prevents the attachment of marine organisms on ship hulls that results in increased fuel consumption, decreased speed/efficiency, and also a means to transport non-indigenous species. Current antifouling coatings have slow and controlled release of toxins such as metals (tin, copper or zinc) or organic biocides. Luna's ultrahydrophobic coating technology may also be used in bioresistance, the ability of a surface to prevent the absorption of biomaterials and can be a solution to biofouling.
A success story on Luna's ultrahydrophobic coatings project with the Air Force has been posted on the Air Force SBIR/STTR Virtual Shopping Mall Web site (in the Electronic Library/Innovation folder).
A demonstration of our self-cleaning coatings that have been applied to fabric can be seen here.
