Cirrus Materials Science is leading the way with its coating and surface finishing technologies for those manufacturers who are pushing the boundaries of new materials in electronics, space, energy, and automotive. The company has looked to adapt breakthrough materials technologies and processes that can enable new products and accelerate customers' transition to sustainable, low-carbon manufacturing, and de-risk the cost and time to market.

Coatings are found everywhere. And surface finishing is the last step in manufacturing, which uses high energy and often releases chemical pollutants and carbon emissions.

Cirrus Materials Science CEO Glen Slater said, "Some industries have responded to tough carbon emission and pollution controls by exporting their dirty processes to less regulated economies. For global sustainability leaders, investing in process innovation and sustainable chemistry is also an opportunity to reduce inequality. This includes deployment of energy efficient processes, reduction in materials consumption, lowering GHG (greenhouse gas) and VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) process emissions, and improving the performance and functionality of lightweight materials."

Despite being a technology-led venture, Cirrus has a small, green footprint and exports weightless, environmentally friendly technology to industry leaders worldwide.

Sustainability and performance are the two major trends changing material science in 2022. "Global R&D (Research & Development) expenditure in advanced materials and chemical processes is USD41bn p.a.  Sustainability and performance are the two major drivers of this investment. We see pressure from major manufacturers flowing up supply chains to spur technology suppliers to achieve ever more challenging sustainability and performance targets," said Glen Slater.

Based in New Zealand, Cirrus Materials Science has customers spread across four continents. And sees major global engagement in three core areas:

Reducing carbon emissions: With leaders seeking new chemistry and processes to help them reduce the time, temperature, and overall energy demands of their existing manufacturing processes. "And this is the major theme for us at Cirrus. We're also a part of the search for new, breakthrough replacement processes for existing "dirty" technologies such as paint," said Glen Slater.

Renewable energy: Energies like solar, wind, and hydrogen rely on efficient interactions at the surface. Cirrus supports industry leaders who seek more control over surface design at the nanoscale to increase the efficiency of clean energy production significantly.

Clean mobility: Across the automotive and aerospace sectors, major R&D investments in decarbonization and lightweight are supported by advanced materials and surface technologies, particularly in improving the durability and performance of lightweight materials such as magnesium and carbon fiber composites.

Talking about the major challenges faced by the leaders in Material Science, Glen Slater said, "A key challenge for technology leaders in our sector is meeting the accelerating demand for new materials and processes that can have a meaningful impact on sustainability and propel high-value outcomes for global leaders in advanced technology industries – there's still enormous white space to be explored in our field."

A good example has been the drive to eliminate hexavalent chromium and chromates from surface finishing processes and products. The search for a safer, sustainable alternative offering identical performance and improved cost only began when regulators announced a ban on these chemicals 10 years ago. 

"Many of the discussions we have with industry leaders and decision-makers are driven by similar demands – a requirement to achieve a sustainability outcome (i.e., recyclability / reduced energy use / eliminate toxic inputs) where existing materials technologies currently offer no solution. At Cirrus, our role is to tackle the hardest, highest impact sustainability challenges to reduce the risk inherent in designing and adopting new materials and processes," added Glen Slater.

Elaborating on the statement – We design novel coatings technologies for global manufacturers who need an innovative and sustainable surface finish – Glen Slater said that Cirrus breakthrough surface finishing technologies focus on nanocomposite coating materials and nanostructure surface design.

Cirrus Dopant™ technology offers customers versatile, scalable, low-risk access to advanced nanocomposite coatings and product design and development materials. The technology supplies a stable suspension of nanoparticles that includes particle selectivity and control, elevated particle loading, reliable and non-toxic chemistry, and ease of process integration.

Cirrus Paint-free Color™ is a sustainable alternative to paints and dyes for light metal surfaces such as aluminum. Guided by nanostructures found in nature, Cirrus developed a rich color surface technology that can eliminate up to 60% of the energy consumption and 95% of the VOC emissions from automotive paint processes. The result is a full stack sustainable coating innovation that is as durable and beautiful as paint, just 90% thinner.

Citing a couple of case studies, Glen Slater revealed, "A client sought a 40% increase in the wear resistance of coatings for their consumables to extend the lifetime of their customers' equipment. We developed a variant of our Cirrus Dopant™ nanocomposite coating technology, offering a 10x improvement in wear resistance in real-world tests and altered performance expectations for consumable performance in the sector. Another client sought a 35% energy reduction and materials use of a major coating process for aluminum while retaining the key performance requirements. We developed a variant of our Cirrus Hybrid™ nanostructured surface technology offering a 75% reduction in material use and 80% reduction in energy demand."

Describing the strategies of Cirrus in detail, Glen Slater said their core competencies focus on drop-in easily adaptable surface processes that offer high-performance nanocomposites, functional nanoparticles, and nanostructured, tunable surfaces for customers developing new or enhanced products. Cirrus aims to provide technology certainty and exclusivity and has developed its engagement model with the market to offer flexible, risk-reducing steps and affordable, timely access to innovative technologies for in-house product development.

The future is bright for Cirrus as they have launched their first US market expansion. "In 2023, we will open an expanded laboratory and analytical center in Auckland, NZ, which will include new computational modeling capabilities to accelerate outcomes for our customers," said Glen Slater.

From a platform perspective, Cirrus will soon launch new technologies for simple, sustainable, and cost-effective surface finishing of functional polymer and carbon fiber composite materials offering a wide range of lightweight options to product designers and manufacturers.