Autonomic, Thermally Stable Self Healing Microcapsules in Corrosion Protection Coatings Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Topic No.: N121-018 Topic Title: Autonomic, Thermally Stable Self Healing Microcapsules in Corrosion Protection Coatings Proposal No.: N121-018-0737 Firm: Luna Innovations Incorporated 1 Riverside Circle Suite 400 Roanoke, Virginia 24016-4962 Contact: Ben Beck Phone: (540) 961-4506 Web Site: www.lunainnovations.com Abstract: In the aviation industry, direct annual corrosion costs are estimated to be $2.2 billion, with $1.7 billion allocated to corrosion maintenance and $0.3 billion to downtime. Since exterior coatings are the first line of defense against corrosion, ground crews spend a large proportion of their time inspecting, documenting and repairing coating damage. A coating that can autonomously repair damaged areas would improve operational efficiency. For the F35 application, the coating requires - thermal stability (-65 to 400oF), environmental and chemical durability, minimal weight, and low cost. Luna's solution will build off of our experience in self healing material encapsulation, corrosion resistant paint formulation, and coating validation. Luna will utilize its polymer chemistry expertise to develop a thermally stable, self healing system using microencapsulation techniques resulting in an inexpensive, scalable product that have proven shear and spray stability. This paint formulation will be an environmentally friendly, waterborne, chrome-free coating that has shown improved corrosion resistance in accelerated and outdoor testing. Luna has the additional ability to create multifunctional coatings providing visual indication of the self heaing performance and additional corrosion protection. The technology developed on this program will decrease life cycle costs, reduce maintenance, and increase readiness by limiting equipment down-time. Benefits: The total annual US cost estimates for corrosion related expenses are in excess of $300 billion, or 3.1% of the GDP. Much of the costs are associated with the maintenance of metal materials; 20% of the estimated corrosion-related costs involve scraping and repainting steel structures. A self healing coating will be beneficial to any industry sector that suffers from corrosion, such as infrastructure, transportation, utilities, and production and manufacturing. A durable, thermally stable, autonomous self healing corrosion protection coating will increase serviceable lifetime, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. Return