Aculon

Aculon, Inc. commercializes unique surface and interfacial coatings leveraging nanotechnology discoveries made at Princeton University. The Princeton intellectual property includes two issued patents and seven pending applications, with Aculon as the exclusive worldwide licensee for non-biological applications. Aculon has substantially strengthened its IP position with 15 new inventions beyond the original Princeton discoveries. In total, Aculon owns and licensees a portfolio of 25 exclusive, global patents.

Aculon’s breakthrough technology enables coatings which outperform all known alternatives in characteristics such as adhesion, stain resistance, scratch resistance and economics. Equally important, Aculon’s know-how includes industrial scale processes to efficiently manufacture and apply these novel coatings.

Aculon’s technology is exceptionally versatile and enables several platforms of high-value commercial opportunities.  At present, the Aculon is focused on three platforms:

1. Easy-clean, anti-smudge coatings for eyeglasses and other optical surfaces such as flat panel displays, and stainless steel;
2. Coatings that boost adhesion strength to difficult-to-adhere-to surfaces such as glass, certain metals and plastics; and
3. Coatings that improve the functionality of electronic devices such as displays, electrolytic capacitors and printed circuit boards.

Aculon's can be divided up into the following application areas:

• Hydrophobic/Oleophobic - Aculon’s coating materials bond with many different surfaces at the nano-scale to create easy-clean, water and oil resistant, anti-smudge coatings. These coatings are currently being used for eyeglasses and other surfaces such as flat panel displays, and stainless steel. Aculon’s nanoscale easy-clean coatings create a water-repellant (hydrophobic) and oil-repellant (oleophobic) surface to repel water, dust, oil, and dirt on surfaces allowing for easy-clean glass and easy-clean metal.
• Adhesion - Aculon’s non-stick, adhesion promotion and anti-oxidation coatings can be used on a broad range of materials used in electronic applications including metals, metal oxides, polymers, and ceramics.
• Inkjet Coating Applications - Aculon’s non-stick and adhesion coatings can be used on a broad range of materials used in inkjet cartridges. The advantage of superior bonding at the nanoscale is important for inkjet architectures that demand miniaturized features with durable surface coatings.
• Nanoparticles - Aculon has exclusively licensed patented technology from Princeton University for coating oxide surfaces, including metal oxide and yttria nanoparticles. This technology, along with other surface modification techniques, coating methods and materials developed at Aculon, serve as a platform on which nanoparticle surfaces can be tailored for a broad range of uses.