SOMERSET, NJ – NEI Corp. has incorporated and launched a new subsidiary, American NanoMyte Inc. (ANM), to commercialize its line of self-healing coatings for protecting metal surfaces from corrosion. Enabled by nanotechnology, these self-healing coatings have the ability to repair themselves if damaged or scratched, making them uniquely suited for corrosion control.

The initial focus of ANM is to use the self-healing coatings to prevent corrosion of lightweight metals, including aluminum and magnesium alloys. The coatings are also applicable to steel. ANM offers customized coatings solutions to specific application needs where the ability to self heal is an advantage.

Over the past two years, NEI Corp. has been developing an environmentally friendly (chromate free) technology platform for self-healing coating systems, which include a pretreatment (also referred to as conversion coating), primer and topcoat. ANM has been set up to manufacture and supply these nanocomposite coatings.

ANM is aided in part by a contract from the U.S. Army’s Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Corrosion Protection and Control Group located at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. The two-fold purpose of the contract is to enable the U.S. Army to implement advanced anticorrosion coatings on lightweight metals and establish a pilot-scale system for producing scaled-up quantities of coating formulations. This effort addresses the need for the development of chromate-free coating systems for lightweight alloys to be used in weapon systems for the Warfighter.

The coatings for the Army are being designed to inhibit the adverse effects of general and galvanic corrosion on the structural integrity and aesthetic appearance of metal-based systems. The goal of the project with ARDEC is to provide corrosion protection of armaments, ground vehicles and helicopters, thereby reducing rework, decreasing maintenance costs and extending useful life.

Founded in 1997, NEI Corp. develops, manufactures and distributes nanoscale materials for a broad range of industrial customers around the world. The company’s products incorporate proprietary nanotechnology and advanced materials science to create significant performance improvements in manufactured goods. NEI’s products include advanced protective coatings, high-performance battery electrode materials and specialty nanoscale materials for diverse applications. The company is based in Somerset, NJ.