Specialty materials company Mussel Polymers, Inc. (MPI) (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA) announced that it was selected by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 contract focused on the development of a biomimetic, anticorrosive coating technology. M-Clad is MPI’s new coating designed to protect deployed equipment, vehicles, and structures from damage, especially corrosion. This anticorrosive technology will help to address one of the most pressing challenges faced by the DAF.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), corrosion costs the U.S. military over $20 billion annually. MPI’s anticorrosion technology is an extension of its patented Poly(Catechol-Styrene) (PCS) thin film applications, which include enhanced adhesion and functionalization on wet and low energy surfaces.
“AFRL’s selection of PCS for testing provides a robust test bed of the value and effectiveness of MPI’s M-Clad anticorrosive coating,” says Jason Stieg, chief commercial officer of MPI.
The AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applications by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. Now MPI will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
Source: Mussel Polymers, Inc., www.musselpolymers.com.