Abakans subsidiary, MesoCoat, along with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been awarded USD $1 million by the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a process to join dissimilar metal alloys (including corrosion resistant alloys). In addition, MesoCoat has won a USD $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Institute of Health to develop antimicrobial coatings using its high-speed large-area metal cladding technology CermaClad.
The DOE project will work on developing functional gradient transition joints between carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel for nuclear reactors, and to develop advanced joining techniques for dissimilar materials used in nuclear fission reactors.
The NIH project will work on developing copper-based antimicrobial coatings primarily contact surfaces in hospitals that could also be applied to many other public areas such as airports, bus and railway stations, schools, restaurants and work places. Antimicrobial coatings could have a significant impact on public health by preventing the outbreak of infections and diseases.
Abakans CEO, Robert Miller, explained that the coating/cladding has already been demonstrated on nickel based alloys, copper based alloys, carbide, stainless steel, and even titanium on a variety of metal substrates. He stated, CermaClad adds functionalities such as resistance to corrosion, wear, heat, and microorganisms to almost any metal at a fraction of the cost when compared to metals made from extremely expensive exotic alloys with these functionalities. CermaClad technology is currently being used to develop corrosion- and wear-resistant clad pipes for offshore and onshore oil and gas, oil sands and mining applications.