Deadline: Year of 2023

Smart surfaces react to external forces such as light, heat or pressure. These surfaces can, for example, change texture, color or shape depending on the intensity, duration and location of the stimulus applied. Smart surfaces can provide display information, respond to environmental stressors or preserve operational ability, to name a few.

Depending on where and how the smart surface is deployed, it could be subject to adverse environmental conditions or to a high frequency of human contact. Regardless of the use case, it can be beneficial to coat the smart surface to enhance or extend its operational life. TechConnect’s clients are interested in coatings that can be applied to smart surfaces without negatively impacting the performance of the surface.

Potential pathways of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Hydrophobic coatings
• Oleophobic coatings
• Antibacterial/microbial coatings
• Ice-phobic coatings
• Omniphobic coatings

Coatings which avoid chemicals with known environmental and/or health concerns are of greatest interest. All technical maturities are of interest provided that a viable pathway to implementation exists.

Respondents to this Sprint will be considered for engagement by multiple TechConnect clients, representing a variety of industries and applications. Furthermore, select respondents may also be invited to demo, present, or showcase their proposed technology at the upcoming TechConnect World Conference in July 2023. Respondents are not obligated to participate in the Conference and non-participation will not negatively impact any potential engagement with any TechConnect clients. Event participation fees may apply. There is no cost to submit a response.

The goal of this sprint is to facilitate contact and interactions between the Sprint sponsor and commercial entities (including Start-ups) or technology developers or research organization/university in this space. Submissions from all viable subject matter experts are of interest including those from academia and commercial entities.

Requirements

Solvers submitting an Entry are encouraged to highlight capabilities in their Submission that meet criteria including:

• Description of the coating
• Anticipated performance
• Advantages versus alternatives
• Anticipated use case(s)
• Technical maturity