Flexcon Global exclusively licenses two ORNL patented inventions
The licensed technologies include a self-healing barrier film as well as an advanced method for manufacturing the film using a roll-to-roll coating process.
Flexcon Global has exclusively licensed two patented inventions developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to manufacture a self-healing barrier film for research and development purposes. The film can be incorporated into vacuum insulation panels to increase the efficiency of buildings during retrofits.
The Spencer, MA-based company provides coatings, film laminations, and functional technologies to a range of markets including healthcare, sustainable packaging, transportation, consumer durables, electronics, industrial, retail, and advertising. Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that began in 2021, Flexcon and ORNL have been exploring the capabilities of the technology and fine-tuning its properties.
The licensed technologies include a self-healing barrier film as well as an advanced method for manufacturing the film using a roll-to-roll coating process.
“Working with Tomonori Saito and his team has been an exciting opportunity to create a solution for an unmet need in the market. Our relationship with ORNL as a manufacturing developmental partner has been mutually beneficial,” said Mike Merwin, Flexcon’s Director of Technology Solutions. “We look forward to working on additional projects and continuing the strong working relationships that have come out of this experience.”
According to this ORNL news release, Saito is a researcher in ORNL’s Chemical Sciences Division and leads the work for ORNL with support from Natasha Ghezawi, a Bredesen Center student. The Bredesen Center is an educational partnership managed by the University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute focused on doctoral programs aligned with convergent research areas shared by both institutions.
Former ORNL researchers Kaushik Biswas, David Wood, Kelsey Grady, and Pengfei Cao contributed to the inventions. ORNL’s Catalin Gainaru, an R&D Associate in the Chemical Sciences Division; Diana Hun, Group Leader for Building Envelope Materials Research; and the experts at the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center user facility at ORNL, provided support for the CRADA work.
Building envelope components — walls, windows, and roofs — account for nearly 8.5 percent of total energy consumption in the United States. Adding materials that can better resist heat flow to an existing building envelope can significantly lower the building’s carbon footprint. The development of highly durable high-performance insulation materials is critical to meeting decarbonization goals for the buildings sector.
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