TAGS: Smart Coatings
Zentek, an intellectual property development and commercialization company, develops ZenARMOR™, a novel corrosion protection technology based on functionalized Graphene Oxide (GO) that offers superior performance, self-healing properties and a potential environmental advantage.
Life Extension of Existing Infrastructure & Equipment
Corrosion is a costly issue that significantly impacts naval and marine infrastructure, bridges, buildings, pipelines, and many other industries. To help combat this problem, corrosion protective coatings can extend the life of existing infrastructure and equipment.
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The economic cost of corrosion is significant. According to a United States Congressional Briefing on May 31, 2012, corrosion-related costs amounted to US$452 billion per year in the US, including US $22 billion for the Department of Defense,” said Greg Fenton, CEO of Zentek.
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The global anti-corrosion coating market was estimated to be $27.4 Billion in 2019 and expected to grow to 63.7 Billion by 2030 according to Business Wire. To help address this issue, corrosion protective coatings are used to extend the life of existing infrastructure and equipment, generally providing a high return on investment,” continued Fenton.
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With ZenARMOR™, our team has developed a nanomaterial-based technology that has the potential to further enhance this return on investment by not only improving the performance of existing corrosion protection solutions but doing so in a way that reduces environmental impact,” added Fenton.
Third-Party Testing in Epoxy System
The Company is collaborating with Quantum Chemical, a division of Quantum Technical Services Ltd., a manufacturer of high-performance primers and coatings.
Testing by Quantum Chemical of ZenARMOR™ in an epoxy system following ASTM B-117 Salt Spray Testing demonstrated excellent corrosion resistance with no blisters or any other signs of corrosion after 1,500 hours with the addition of a very low dose of ZenARMOR™ versus the same corrosion protection epoxy without ZenARMOR™ which started breaking down at the 1000-hour mark.
ZenARMOR™ is also comprised of fewer active ingredients compared to other products in the market, which management believes potentially has environmental benefits versus other corrosion protection products. Testing is ongoing and the Company will report on further significant testing milestones.
Meeting Mandatory Criteria of Military Call for Prototypes
The Company also reports that a proposal for its ZenARMOR™ corrosion protection self-healing coating was submitted to the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) testing stream, Military Call for Prototypes.
The Company is pleased to announce that it has been advised that the ZenARMOR™ proposal has met the mandatory and technical evaluation criteria of the Military Call for Prototypes, Military Component, and is considered conditionally qualified, pending further steps such as matching our innovation with a Government of Canada Organization (GCO) interested in testing ZenARMOR™.
The Company and the ISC program have begun to socialize ZenARMOR™ to GCOs, exploring opportunities for partnership and testing. Conditionally qualified innovations are now listed on the ISC website.
The Company has filed a provisional patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the ZenARMOR™ corrosion protection technology and has also filed a trademark for ZenARMOR™.
Source: Zentek