Hybrid Coating Technologies Inc (fka HCTI)

[sharpei]

There is also the DoD which is all in on HCTI's chemistry:

'A professor at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has secured funding to develop environmentally responsible, but high-performance coatings U.S. military aircraft and shipboard surfaces.

Dr. Vijay Mannari, a professor of polymers and coatings at EMU, has been awarded a $529,000 grant through the Strategic Environmental Research Development Program (SERDP), an interagency organization that identifies and develops environmental technologies that directly relate to defense mission readiness.

The SERDP selected Mannari for funding based on his research proposal titled "Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Platform for Sustainable and Advanced Rain Erosion Resistant Coatings.”

“This award not only recognizes our capabilities for advanced research and development in coatings, but it will also provide opportunities for me and our students to explore new frontiers in developing greener and safer coating materials,” Mannari said in the university’s statement.

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft
Photos: United States Department of Defense

Dr. Vijay Mannari has been awarded a $529,000 grant to develop environmentally responsible, but high-performance coatings U.S. military aircraft and shipboard surfaces.


“Our research aims at replacing these toxic coatings with safer alternatives, without compromising performance,” he added.

Mannari, who joined the Polymers and Coatings Program at EMU in 2002, established and oversees a rigorous research program primarily focusing on environmentally friendly polymeric materials for development of advanced coatings.

Military Coatings Requirements

Mannari’s inspiration for the SERDP project stemmed from the fact that, currently, the Department of Defense relies on polyurethane coatings for many of its applications because of their ability to meet the military’s strict on-site application/curing and performance requirements.

However, these erosion-resistant coatings have high volatile organic compound (VOC) and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions and use hazardous and toxic isocyanate compounds, he explained. These compounds are toxic and very hazardous for human health and safety.

Modern water-borne polyurethane coatings, which boast significantly lower VOCs and HAPs, aren’t acceptable for DOD use because of their inefficient film formation. Additionally, their longer drying times mean they can’t be used for multi-coat on-site applications and ambient cure conditions, the proposal noted.
'

Professor Mannari is Prof. Figovsky's partner in this research. Also, the DoD is already a customer of PPG.

http://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=14629