SOLICITATION NOTICE
99 -- Optically transparent, durable superhydrophobic technology
- Notice Date
- 2/21/2014
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 327215
— Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass
- Contracting Office
- Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory - UT Battelle LLC (DOE Contractor), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bethel Valley Road, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37831-6192
- ZIP Code
- 37831-6192
- Solicitation Number
- ORNL-TT-2014-69
- Archive Date
- 4/12/2014
- Point of Contact
- Alexander DeTrana,
- E-Mail Address
-
detranaag@ornl.gov
(detranaag@ornl.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- UT-Battelle, LLC, acting under its Prime Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the management and operation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is seeking a commercialization partner for the Piranha/Raptor text mining technologies. The ORNL Technology Transfer Office will accept licensing applications through March 28, 2014. Glass used in building materials (curtain walls), windshields, goggles, glasses, optical lenses, and similar applications must be durable and transparent. To meet this challenge, ORNL researchers have invented a method to produce durable, superhydrophobic, antireflective glass thin films for coating such surfaces. Other processes exist for producing materials with the desired qualities, including superhydrophobic and antimicrobial surfaces; however, in most cases the resulting materials exhibit poor hydrophobicity or the properties are not durable and the surfaces require frequent maintenance and/or replacement. And some of the processes use toxic chemicals or produce toxic wastes, leading to disposal problems. The basic approach used by ORNL begins with phase separating glass that is capable of spinodally decomposing when properly processed. The process is not limited to a particular phase separating glass or substrate, and a variety of deposition processes, including sputtering and chemical vapor deposition, may be used. No bonding agents are required. Once the coating has been applied and phase separated into a spinodal pattern (typically by heat treating), differential etching is used to remove one phase of the spinodal structure and partially remove the other. The resulting etched surface structure has a very porous and extremely small "funnel cake" or coral appearance when viewed with a scanning electron microscope. The final step is to apply a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer to the etched surface. The various steps of the process can be modified to produce coatings tailored to specific applications. The result is a family of all-in-one coatings that exhibit the following characteristics. • Superhydrophobicity (droplet contact angle > 170°) • Optical transparency (> 95%) over a broad range • Opacity to UV radiation • Antireflectance (< 1%) • High density and uniformity • Durability (including scratch and crack resistance) This technology was originally developed using federal funds and selected for further development under the laboratory's Technology Innovation Program (TIP). TIP supports technology development using royalties from existing technology licenses to accelerate the market readiness of high potential technologies. License applications will be evaluated based on prospective partners' ability and commitment to successfully commercialize the technology, with a preference for United States based businesses and small businesses. If a license is executed, the ORNL researchers developing the technology will be eligible to compete for additional TIP funding to further advance the technology. For additional information and license application, contact Alex DeTrana, Commercialization Manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 865-576-9682, detranaag@ornl.gov. Intellectual Property: Patent application: UT-Battelle ID 2214 Title: Superhydrophobic Transparent Glass (STG) Thin Film Articles. Inventors: Tolga Aytug, David K. Christen, and John T. Simpson. U.S. Patent Application 12/915,183, filed October 29, 2010. UT-Battelle ID 2003 Title: Optically Transparent Superhydrophobic Coating Inventors: Linda Lewis and John T. Simpson U.S. Patent Application 12/938,044 filed November 2, 2010
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOE/ORNL/ORNL/ORNL-TT-2014-69/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contracting Office Address:, Bethel Valley Road, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6192, Place of Performance:, 1 Bethel Valley Road, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6196, United States, United States
- Zip Code: 37831-6196
- Zip Code: 37831-6196
- Record
- SN03293702-W 20140223/140221234647-0eedb944626428f81037281620a0cd08 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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