Seeking Experts to improve bonding of organic lubricating coatings on metal cutting edges

The Challenge:

We are looking for a technical solution to replace PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), currently used as a low-friction coating on metallic cutting edges. The desired solution should be an alternative material outside the PFAS family and offer a scalable process for depositing the material on the metallic cutting edge. The coating must exhibit excellent bonding to the metallic cutting edge substrate, be ultrathin (preferably below 100 nm), durable for repeated, long-term use in wet/soapy environments, safe for skin contact, and avoid the use of fluorochemistry or corrosive materials.

We have tested several different coating materials from different families like silicone-based, wax-based but none so far has reached the PTFE performance either in lubrication, durability, or coating-substrate bonding.

The business objective is to establish a scalable process for depositing the selected coating material onto metallic substrates.

Therefore,we are seeking an expert that can help our respective R&D teams in understanding the involved interfacial processes,what the exact intramolecular interactions are, why and how they affect the current system and the alternatives that have been studied, and how we can eventually manipulate our surfaces to enhance coating-substrate bonding, durability, and lubrication for a non-fluorinated coating.

We are looking for experts consultants in any of the below

• Organometallic chemistry
• Chemical Bonds and Surface Interactions
• Surface Energy and Wetting Properties
• Surface Functionalization
• Ways to enhance bonding to the substrate by modifying surface roughness or adding chemical groups using organometallic compounds to create interfacial layers

An added advantage would be having expertise in coating deposition and characterization systems for testing and evaluating potential approaches, although it is not a core requirement.

The experts must have any of the below abilities:

• Understand the structure-property-performance relationships in our current system and in alternative materials we have tested so far, in order to be able to propose technical solutions to replace PTFE
• Study the chemistry of interfaces (substrate-coating), identify the influence and quantify the coating properties (COF, coating-substrate bonding, cohesion, surface energy, mechanical properties, thickness) and the performance of alternative materials in relation to our benchmark PTFE.
• Study and predict the interactions involved in our system (coated metallic cutting edge) during and after production as well as during use (cutting action in dry or wet environment).
• Support the ongoing experimental work of new materials testing by theoretical approaches (computational, simulations etc.)
• Exploit the output of the theoretical approaches to suggest alternative materials and related processing for obtaining coatings with the required performance.

Discarded solutions

• Any proposal containing PFAS, fluorochemistry or corrosive chemicals, either as proposed solution or part of the deposition process.
• Not REACH compliant

Collaboration framework

• The Company is open to any model of collaboration, including: Research contract, Technology licensing, Joint development.
• Preferable course of collaborationfor the Company is to start with a Proof of Concept short-term phase and upon successful completion of this, continue in a broader collaboration.
• The respective Company project has budget availability for contractual collaboration with any proven expert that can demonstrably assist with the scope.

Submit your proposal for an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Leading FMCG manufacturer and shape the future of innovation together.

Key Elements to Include in Your Proposal for Evaluation:

1. Education & Scientific Background

​-Academic qualifications and areas of specialization.

- Relevant technical expertise (e.g., adhesion science, coatings, tribology, materials engineering).

- Current research interest & activities

2. Team Composition (if applicable)

- Indicate if you are applying as a team of experts.

- Outline each member’s role and area of contribution.

3. Involvement in Similar Projects

- Examples of relevant industrial or academic projects.

- Specific use cases that demonstrate your experience solving comparable challenges.

4. Publications & Patents

-List of relevant papers, patents, or technical reports that support your expertise.

5. Suggested Approach

- A brief outline of how you would approach this challenge.

- How you envision collaborating (e.g., advisory, experimental design, validation).

Possible solution areas

• Organometallic chemistry , Chemical Bonds and Surface Interactions , Surface Energy and Wetting Properties ,Surface Functionalization , Surface modification and structuring , Coating bonding experts , Experts in the fields of the different materials in coating form (silicone-based, wax based, ionic liquids)