Atmospheric Plasma, Chemical Vapor Deposition (AP-CVD) / Ultrasonically Atomized Spray of Nanoparticles

A novel hybrid Atmospheric Plasma, Chemical Vapor Deposition (AP-CVD) / Ultrasonically Atomized Spray of Nanoparticles deposition technique is also available at NanoCoatings, Inc. These non-vacuum deposition methods are unique and offer: 1) AP-CVD: Deposition of thin, amorphous oxides (such as silica, alumina) that offer good corrosion resistance and 2) Atomized Spray: Agitation and spray of nanoparticle (e.g., carbides, oxides, etc.) containing solutions which generally use solvent carriers, but polymer-based carriers have also been demonstrated. When these 2 deposition methods are combined in a single robotic platform, very unique multilayered coating architectures can be produced that offer high-adhesion, good corrosion resistance, abrasion/erosion resistance, and water/ice repellency. These latter properties result from a combination of high water contact angle (WCA) inherent for the base amorphous oxide layers (typically silanes, siloxanes, silizanes) and the small size (<50nm) of the hard carbide or oxide nanoparticles. It is known that nano-scale topology applied to surfaces can trap air pockets underneath the residing water droplets, which results in the attainment of superhydrophobic (>150 WCA) behavior. Surfaces fabricated from this hybrid deposition method on metals (i.e., aluminum, stainless steel and titanium alloys) have demonstrated water droplet roll-off and resistance to ice-formation.