Conclusions

The preparation and application of an abrasion and fluid resistant, hydrophobic Gentoo coating over plated high strength steel, anodized and pretreated aluminum, as well as on MIL-PRF-23377 epoxy primer with MIL-PRF-85285 polyurethane topcoated paints has been demonstrated.  The Gentoo provides significant added corrosion protection over current protective coatings when evaluated with standardized accelerated corrosion test methods.

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Gentoo has demonstrated benefits for corrosion resistant applications through: i) increased barrier protection with orders of magnitude reduction in current density and reduced impedance loss following ASTM B117 exposure, ii) improved B117 corrosion resistant performance against standard military aerospace coatings and metal surfaces (LHE Zn-Ni 4130 steel, anodized and unclad 7075-T6 aluminum), iii) 65-75% reduction in weight loss with Gentoo application to a galvanic fastener assembly, and iv) added accelerated environmental exposure protection following ASTM D 3170 Chipping Resistance testing.

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Gentoo also has many key coating application attributes: i) ability to be applied using currently employed High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) spray methods, ii) inexpensive and scalable formulation, iii) excellent adhesion and compatibility with current MIL-Spec topcoats, plating materials and metal surfaces, and iv) thin, lightweight application (4-6 mm) resulting in little added weight.

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The hydrophobic nature of Gentoo provides excellent water shedding, which is capable of moving water, corrosion initiators and other liquids away from damaged areas resulting in a significant reduction in corrosion.  Gentoo is durable, demonstrating impact resistance over current paint systems, and has excellent barrier properties, reducing penetration of corrosion initiating species.

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Finally, Gentoo provides added corrosion protection over painted and plated surfaces in both accelerated static and cyclic corrosion tests, as well as in actual atmospheric conditions This treatment exhibits a large operating temperature range, passing mandrel bend flexibility at -51°C to thermal stability up to 200°C, and is easily cleaned with no impact to the surface properties using standard cleaning methods.