A Massillon company is getting international attention for developing a new way to protect natural gas pipelines and offshore drilling rigs from corrosion -- at a molecular level.
They’re using carbon nanotubes.
Energy infrastructure tends to be continuously exposed to the elements, making corrosion a constant challenge along with the potential for leaks, spills and worse.
There was an idea back in the 1980s to use carbon nanotubes to make super strong anti-corrosion coatings. But doing that affordably remained elusive until Telsa Nanocoatings said this week that it has successfully completed its decade-long development of a new coating process.
Todd Hawkins founded the company.
“It’s about increasing reliability and making things safer. We consider ourselves a greener technology and providing safer infrastructure for the environment. And we’re doing it in a modern fashion. It’s challenging sometimes, but also rewarding.”
Investment and trade publications from London to Seoul have been writing about an anticipated breakthrough for more than a year.