Looking for a technology to ward off corrosion that’s also safe for the environment? Researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have done just that. Dating back to the Space Shuttle era of NASA, this technology can prevent corrosion and can also be painted on already-corroded surfaces to “heal” and protect it going forward. With commercial potential in building safer bridges, automobiles and machinery, it’s no wonder it has been licensed 7 times.Researchers at NASA Kennedy Space Centers (KSC) Corrosion Technology Laboratory have developed a smart, environmentally friendly coating system for early detection and inhibition of corrosion and self-healing of mechanical damage without external intervention. This coating will have the inherent ability to detect the onset of corrosion in the coated substrate and respond autonomously to control it. The high salt content of KSCs natural marine environment in combination with the sunlight, heat, and humidity of the subtropical Florida climate makes KSC the countrys most corrosive area according to the American Society of Metals. These highly corrosive conditions are exacerbated at KSCs launch pads by extreme heat and acidic exhaust from the solid rocket motors of the space vehicles.

The smart coating is based on the controlled release of corrosion inhibitors and indicators from specially formulated microcapsules and particles pioneered by NASA (patent allowed). The coating detects corrosion in its early stages, inhibits it, and/or repairs the coating. The onset of corrosion triggers the release of compounds that indicate and inhibit corrosion. Mechanical damage to the coating triggers the release of film-forming compounds to repair the damage. In practice, the corrosion-responsive microcapsules detect the chemical changes that occur when corrosion begins and respond by releasing their contents. A corrosion indicator will identify the affected region with a color change, and healing agents and corrosion inhibitors help mitigate the corrosion. The microcapsules can be tailored for incorporation into different coating systems. This multifunctional coating system will reduce maintenance cost and improve safety by preventing catastrophic corrosion failures. The coating can reduce infrastructure life cycle costs by extending the life of corrosion-susceptible structures and components, reduce inspection times of structures, and reduce the level of repair for corrosion-affected areas.Benefits Autonomous corrosion detection and protection Early corrosion detection and hidden corrosion indication Self-healing of mechanical damage On-demand delivery of corrosion inhibitors Applications The technology is a corrosion detection and prevention coating for: Bridges Automobiles Ships Pipes and other infrastructure Machinery Airplanes

Sprowtt Launch Pad Inc. was founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of Sprowtt Inc. Sprowtt, the parent company established in 2012, is a financial technology (FinTech) company that specializes in creating capital formation and revenue generating software platforms for the burgeoning capital raising industry created by the JOBS Act for medium sized issuer companies. Sprowtt Launch Pad Inc. plans to lead a robust federal lab-to-market campaign designed to stimulate technology transfer of U.S> government patanetdd inventions with strong market potential. This will be done through broad participation by leading colleges and universities and individual entrepreneurs, and focus on supporting commercialization of a wide-ranege of high-tech prodcust and services with technlgocal roots in the deferral government. The inititive will be enabled by the development and operation of Sprowtt’s Technlogy Transfer Gateway. The management team of Sprowtt Launch Pad has five decades of entrepreneurial experience, and has numerous years of experience successfully launching and managing more than a dozen early-stage ventures. The Sprowtt Launch Pad team has collectively raised several rounds of early stage capital and knows what it takes to launch a successful early stage company. The Sprowtt Launch Pad team has the experience to facilitate bringing together the right technology with the right entrepreneurs and partner them with the U.S. government technology transfer professionals to license the inteletual property. Sprowtt Lauch Pad is comitted to building successful early stage companies based on team relationships. Confidence and experience are important in bringing attractive and growing companies to our platform. All Americans now have the same opportunity to participate in Sprowtt Launch Pad through team building, with the right technologies available through governmentsponsored technology transfer programs.