Nanotechnology, Materials Chemistry, and Coatings

The Institute works with industry and government clients in developing, designing, and improving materials, some of which include the use of nanotechnology. SwRI has been synthesizing, characterizing, and processing nanoparticles for several years.

The Institute is participating with a team of university and government scientists to develop applications for new nanomaterials such as buckyballs and nanotubes. Nanotechnology holds much promise for the development of materials to enable powerful new sensor technology. 

SwRI scientists evaluated the performance of a high-temperature superconducting material using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The yellow band shows an area where the angles between the grain boundaries are well matched, resulting in high performance. SwRI jointly owns a process patent for the quality control during manufacturing of superconducting wire using this knowledge.

The Institute is developing dental restorative resins consisting of liquid crystal monomers reinforced with uniformly dispersed tantalum and zirconium oxide nanoparticles. A continuing grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) is funding this SwRI research. This process produces a polymer composite that looks like a natural tooth, with improved wear resistance, increased hardness, and less shrinkage than existing technology. The Institute earned two patents this year for the work on the monomers and nanoparticles, and another has been filed on an inexpensive, scaleable synthesis for these materials. This is the first time under consortium agreement that SwRI and the UTHSCSA shared patent costs and jointly developed the marketing and licensing agreements.

The Institute is working with a team of university, government, and industry scientists to develop new materials and process technology to sense and control the structure of matter over microscopic and nanoscopic distance scales. These materials and technology could be applied to photonic band gap material, smart materials, large space-based adaptive optics, cloaking technologies, and high-temperature superconducting materials. The work enables the precise control of the structure of matter essential for the production of high-performance materials.

The SwRI-developed chlorine dioxide controlled release biocide system has been developed in inorganic and organic-inorganic versions in powder and film forms. Institute scientists are working with Bern^rd Technologies, Inc. of Chicago to develop and commercialize an especially potent form of the release technology that would be suitable for extruded thin films. Chlorine dioxide can kill fungi, bacteria, and viruses in a few minutes at levels of one to 10 parts per million. The immediate application is food safety, but other potential markets include household and agricultural products and medical device sterilization. The products release chlorine dioxide in response to increasing humidity and temperature, thereby killing microorganisms under conditions that normally encourage their growth.

A drop of SwRI's liquid crystal monomer is shown before photopolymerization. Its change in shape was determined by an SwRI-developed displacement mapping (DISMAP) system. SwRI's material has less than 2 percent volume change after solidification.

In a series of product efficacy studies, SwRI helped to resolve the tooth-whitening claims that a client offered about one of its dental products and helped the product gain American Dental Association approval. In the techniques developed, scientists were able to correlate color and gloss measurements from the irregular surfaces of teeth with color and stain assessment standards used throughout the dental industry. With input from experts in the dental industry, SwRI designed and built a tooth-brushing machine that automates and replicates manual brushing to scientifically evaluate dentifrice formulation. SwRI is building similar, customized machines for other dentifrice studies.

SwRI and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement that makes the specialized facilities and expertise of the USAF Coatings Technology Integration Office (CTIO) available to commercial users for research and development involving paints and coating materials, application and removal technologies, and environmental (weathering) testing. The cooperative agreement enables commercial users to develop material processing techniques and perform experiments without duplicating the services of the state-of-the-art facility. This year, SwRI conducted two projects under this agreement. For Northrop Grumman, SwRI measured the drying times of new coating systems. For U.S. Technology, SwRI developed dry blast media performance and characterization data to qualify it under MIL-P-85891A - the Institute was recently added to the list of companies designated to perform this testing. SwRI is performing the depaint work at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia.

SwRI concluded six years' work with the CTIO to enhance coatings and their application. SwRI will continue to support CTIO in the removal of coatings on military aircraft. Last year, SwRI visited the refinishing sites at the Air Force Air Logistics Centers (ALCs) and field units to document current painting practices and to recommend improvements in equipment and processes. SwRI developed a tool for painters to design their air supply system for improved performance from high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) spray guns. A fluoro-modified polyurethane topcoat has been evaluated to replace the current polyurethane topcoat. SwRI applied this topcoat in the laboratory under controlled conditions to replicate field usage. Scientists tested the topcoat in tandem with military primers from different vendors conforming to three military specifications. The Institute is monitoring the ultraviolet degradation and cleanability of this fluoro-modified polyurethane topcoat on aircraft in service. SwRI has evaluated the corrosion protection appearance and durability of another polymer film appliqué proposed as a substitute for the topcoat.

Institute technologists located on Robins AFB, Georgia, have gathered dry media blast depaint data to increase USAF production efficiency. SwRI tested a depaint process for the Ogden ALC to gain Air Force approval for the use of plastic media blasting on C-130 Hercules flight control surfaces. By increasing the percentage of aircraft that could be stripped of paint rapidly, production schedules could be accelerated. The Institute also assessed several blast media, enabling Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and the T-6 Texan III Special Program Office to determine which depaint process could be used on AETC inventory. Based on SwRI project findings, the Air Force decided to keep the current process, thereby eliminating concerns regarding additional hazardous waste and facilities investments.

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