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February 04, 2025 | Katelyn Biefeldt

Alec Readel aims to bring new 2D material coating to market

He is focusing on using hBN coating for molten salt corrosion, which is used in nuclear-molten salt reactors and concentrated solar power plants.

Alec Readel’s journey into entrepreneurship began in a machine shop, where he held his first job. He watched as the entrepreneurs who mentored him transferred technologies and found new market fits.

“I fell in love with the process of entrepreneurship and solving problems,” Readel said.

Readel’s love for manufacturing was something he grew up with. He watched his dad work with his hands and build things, and that hands-on approach stuck with him. Throughout his life, Readel dabbled in various side businesses, including woodworking and small projects, before getting plugged in with an entrepreneurial business.

“I’ve always had this entrepreneurial bug ever since I was a kid,” he said.

It was those side projects that drew him to work at General Graphene, a Knoxville-based start-up that focuses on cutting-edge materials.

Vig Sherrill was a family friend of mine, and I’ve always looked up to his work. He offered me a job that involved doing anything and everything since I was the first employee,” Readel said. “I even had the opportunity to learn from the scientist who invented the technology we licensed from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).”

During his time at General Graphene, Readel found that one of his greatest strengths was acting as a bridge between scientists and engineers. He enjoyed helping them communicate and find solutions that worked for both sides. From 2017 to 2021, Readel played a key role in developing several prototypes of new technologies, giving him firsthand experience in taking an idea from the drawing board to reality.

Over time, Readel worked his way up the ladder, taking on leadership roles and new challenges.

“Ultimately, my heart has always been with the engineering side,” he said.

In May 2023, Readel decided to leave his role at General Graphene to pursue a solo venture. He wrestled with his fascination for 2D materials—substances made up of a single layer of atoms, which have huge potential in various industries – and wanted to create a company around them.

“I just couldn’t stop thinking about 2D materials and how many opportunities there are in this space – and for so many varying applications,” he said.

Readel began researching a material called hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), which has been proven by experiments at ORNL to create a protective coating for metals such as stainless steel. This coating, he explained, could help equipment in industries, especially those in harsh environments such as high temperatures, and chemicals last longer by preventing corrosion.

“There are so many applications for this, I’m just looking for the right market fit,” Readel said, noting that the I-Corps program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) helped him start that process.

Through the I-Corps program, which focuses on helping innovators find product-market fit, Readel discovered that this coating could be especially useful for heat exchangers—devices used in industrial settings that transfer heat from one material to another. These heat exchangers are often exposed to harsh environments that cause them to wear out quickly, sometimes needing to be replaced every six weeks.

“In non-harsh environments, heat exchanger plates survive for years or decades, but when exposed to sulfuric acid sometimes only last 6 weeks. It’s clear to me there is an opportunity.”

For now, Readel has decided to focus on opportunities in the energy sector, since many of the emerging technologies require immediate attention for materials to be in harsh environments (molten salts, fuel cells, hydrogen generation, mineral refining for batteries, etc).

Specifically, he is focusing on molten salt corrosion, which is used in nuclear-molten salt reactors and concentrated solar power plants. Current anti-corrosion solutions are insufficient for the harsh environments required by emerging technologies, and new solutions such as new alloys or coatings are typically too costly to implement in commercial applications.

“I plan to combat this corrosion by extending the life of materials. I also hope to bridge the gap between cost-effective and high-performing protective barrier coatings by using ORNL’s growth technique for 2D hexagonal boron nitride. Which allows cost-effective growth of the coating,” he said.

As Readel develops this product, he’s gathering the resources and support needed to begin testing this coating. His next step is developing a minimum viable product (MVP).

“I was very thankful that Rob Coleman and Marc Nabhan welcomed me into the latest I-Corps cohort. The experience was so beneficial to me,” Readel said.

For now, Readel is focusing on making more connections in the industry to help him move his project forward.

Connect with Alec Readel.



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