Dual-Layer Coatings for Iron and Steel Corrosion Protection

Corrosion undermines metal integrity, resulting in significant environmental and economic damage (exceeding $ 2.5 trillion).

The anti-corrosion coating market was $ 34.8B in 2022, however, anti-corrosive coatings have three limitations: (1) High costs (2) Toxicity (3) Limited effectiveness.

During my ERC project we developed and patented a technology that uses a dual-layer coating, engineered at the molecular level to provide a highly stable coating on iron to mitigate corrosion formation.

The system consists of a primer monolayer of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) molecules, that is strongly anchored to the metal and a top layer of a tailored polymer network, chemically linked to the NHC monolayer.

The dual-layer coating yields superior corrosion resistance (up to 99.5% effectiveness) with no toxicity effect and can be produced and delivered at low costs. This project aim is to assist us in creating a spin-off company serving several market sectors (e.g. Oil and Gas, Marine, Construction, Aerospace, etc.).

However, these sectors represent conservative industries which require rigorous proof and client education of the added value provided by our dual-layer NHC-polymer coating.

Hence, the project will include requirements capture from potential partners and end-users for the design of thorough performance testing versus available solutions.

Beyond testing, the technological process of the project will include development of (i) optimized dual layer coating formulation on iron and steel and (ii) spray-based procedures for on-site coating.

The anticipated outcome is a scalable, commercially viable technology with a minimum protection efficiency of over 95% after 1000 hours of aging in corrosive media.

This innovation holds significant potential for reducing maintenance costs and extending the lifespan of iron and steel across several industries.