Date: May 19, 2019 Author: DAN SHINGLER Source: Crains Cleveland (
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A recent University of Akron doctoral graduate and his professor have made what they say is a major breakthrough in materials science that doesn't involve polymers -- for which the university is known -- but titanium.
Brandon Strahin, who just defended his dissertation on the technology, has come up with a method for coating titanium with a thin oxide layer that makes components made from the material tougher, able to withstand impact and even be self-lubricating, Strahin and Gary Doll, the UA's Timken professor of surface engineering, said.
Strahin and Doll have formed Precision Surface Science, with Strahin as majority owner. The company has three patents pending on its new technology.
"We have a patent that covers the actual material, another that covers the process and another that covers a specific application," Strahin said.
The son of a Youngstown steelworker whose father taught him early that getting an education was easier than physical work, Strahin always has been interested in metals.
Titanium is a metal that was once too expensive to use in most manufacturing applications. That's changed in the past few decades, and titanium is now much more common. It's stronger than steel at high temperatures and lighter, but it's also soft and can be damaged more easily.
Strahin's technology solves much of that problem, he said, by putting a thin layer of a hard oxide on the outer surface of a titanium piece. The layer itself is basically a tarnish or similar to a patina that forms on copper when it oxidizes, except Strahin's layer is engineered to give special wear-resistant characteristics.
Others have tried this but have done it with methods using caustic chemicals, he said. Precision Surface's method does not use them and doesn't produce hazardous byproducts, Strahin said.
Strahin's process is surprisingly simple. He puts a titanium part in a special oven -- a converted kiln capable of reaching temperatures of 600 to 800 degrees Celsius -- and exposes the titanium to a mix of nitrogen and oxygen gas.
That causes the surface of the metal to oxidize, leaving it covered with a black coating that is tougher than the titanium it protects and which looks better to some manufacturers, to boot.
Precision Surface already is coating parts for customers in small batches and working with clients on research and development for possible licensing, Strahin said.
But what he's really hoping is to break into big industries such as automotive and medical devices. He originally thought the technology would appeal to aerospace companies, but ceramics and other new materials have replaced titanium in many applications there.
Titanium has special advantages that could appeal to automakers and medical-device makers, Strahin said. That's because it's lightweight and because titanium does not tend to react with other substances, such as human tissue.
"Titanium is actually considered to be one of the most biocompatible materials we know of," Strahin said.
He envisions even more potential in the transportation sector, where he said coated titanium components would be far lighter than steel and tougher than aluminum. That would mean that engines and wheels, with lighter parts, could turn more easily.
"Our target is companies where it's a game changer -- like an increase in the efficiency of automotive engines. If an automaker uses titanium in an engine and that increases efficiency by 25%, that's a game changer," Strahin said.
In the meantime, Strahin's trying to determine whether he'll need to bring in outside investors or shoestring his operation with revenue from small parts jobs and consulting work.
He may have to decide soon, especially if he gets interest from a customer that needs large-scale projects, because he'll need bigger equipment.
"Right now, we have a few companies that are evaluating it for commercialization, and we have a company we're working with on commercial research and development," Strahin said.
He's also recently been in discussions with angel investors in and around Akron, he said. So far, the company's outside funding has come in the form of $6,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Precision Surface also is hoping to get another $50,000 in NSF grants, Doll said.
"For newer, bigger equipment, we're talking about $500,000 or so ... so outside investment is a real possibility," Strahin said.
At least some of those who have seen Strahin's technology are impressed -- including Dave Yothers, president of Redline Manufacturing Consultants in Lewis Center and a rep for eight manufacturers who produce metal parts in the U.S. and Canada.
"Titanium is extremely strong, like stainless steel but half the weight. The kicker is it's not hard," Yothers said. "This basically puts an ultra-hard layer, sort of like an oxide layer, on the titanium at the same time it's blackening it, and for my customers that's very attractive."
Another plus is that the process does not significantly change the size of the treated piece.
The company may need to move soon. It's currently housed in an engineering building at UA but only until it's on its own feet financially, Strahin said. On top of that, it will need a larger space in an industrial building to hold big equipment and conduct large-scale operations. Doll and Strahin currently are looking at potential sites, including in the Bounce Innovation Hub, but have not decided on one yet. They intend to stay in town, though.
Strahin also is not stopping with titanium. He said he's working on ways to produce a similar coating on aluminum and magnesium.
