Innovative Material (and Application Method) for a Hydrophobic/Oleophobic Coating to an Aluminum-Bodied Heat Exchanger Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Topic No.: N181-019 Topic Title: Innovative Material (and Application Method) for a Hydrophobic/Oleophobic Coating to an Aluminum-Bodied Heat Exchanger Proposal No.: N181-019-0891 Firm: DropWise Technologies Corp 1035 Cambridge Street Suite 15B Cambridge, Massachusetts 2141 Contact: Adam Paxson Phone: (509) 637-4936 Web Site: http://www.drop-wise.com Abstract: An erosion-resistant high-temperature fouling release coating will be developed to improve cleanability of an aluminum fin-tube heat exchanger. To meet the requirements, an organosilane-based coating with pendant perfluorinated functionality will be utilized. These materials have been used successfully in many high-temperature and abrasion-resistant industrial and military applications. These materials may be deposited by a variety of techniques, including liquid- and vapor-based processes, to covalently graft to a wide variety of substrates, including aluminum. Benefits: The proposed thin erosion-resistant release coating solution for mitigating hydrocarbon fouling has applicability in a number of other situations, including oil and hydraulic fluid coolers in air and ground vehicles and in stationary thermal management systems, as well as high-temperature fouling applications including condensing boilers. Furthermore, the coating solution can provide functionality for situations beyond the hydrocarbon fouling in the current satiation, including resistance against inorganic mineral scale buildup, and biofouling. The potential applications that can benefit from this further functionality include water-cooled heat exchangers and water heating elements in residential, commercial, municipal, and military ground installations, and heat exchangers subjected to biofouling conditions. Return