February 2009
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. has announced the award of a $622,595 Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for “Protecting Polymers from the Natural Space Environment with Films Grown Using Atomic Layer Deposition.” The award, effective December 8, 2008 – December 7, 2010, will be used to develop customized coating solutions for protecting polymers commonly used on space vehicles from damage due to radiation, ions, and oxidation.
The patent pending process of depositing ALD films on polymers will allow the company to protect polymers used on space vehicles with a multifunctional multilayer film containing alumina, titania, and zinc oxide. The composition and thickness of these films can be customized to protect polymers from specific space environments. This grant, under the supervision of ALD NanoSolutions’ scientist Markus Groner, is the company’s 20th small business grant. The research, done in partnership with the George Laboratories at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Minton Laboratory at Montana State University, is an important part in the company’s continuing effort to demonstrate the flexibility of atomic layer deposition for custom designing of composite protective films.
About ALD NanoSolutions
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. is focused on commercializing its nano-coating processes, called Particle-ALD™ and Polymer-ALD™, and is targeting collaborative research agreements with domain partners for the discovery and validation of innovative composite materials in selected industries. The company’s proprietary technology is based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating chemistry methods developed for depositing ultrathin films on particulate and polymeric surfaces. For more information, visit www.aldnanosolutions.com.
For Further Information, Contact:
Dr. Karen Buechler kbuechler@aldnanosolutions.com (303) 318-4145 Ext. 10