Chris Barbe, Ph.D.
CEO
Ceramisphere Pty. Ltd.

Chris is the founder and CEO of Ceramisphere Pty Ltd, manufacturing products based on sol-gel encapsulation of actives inside silica micro- and nano-particles. Chris received his BSc from the Université Pierre & Marie Curie in Paris and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). He has over 25 years of experience in developing new materials and technologies from high-temperature superconductors, to blue lasers, biosensors, solar cells and drug delivery, gained at world-class R&D organizations such as Dupont Central Research, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology (ANSTO).

Sustained Controlled Corrosion Inhibition
Encapsulation technologies with controlled release capabilities represent a novel and innovative approach for the coatings industry. The use of matrix-style encapsulation in silica and hybrid silica, as opposed to core shell technologies, allows for the compatibilization of a broad range of effective organic and organometallic corrosion inhibitors that would not normally be compatible with paint chemistries. These encapsulated inhibitors can be incorporated into coatings with no detrimental effect to the properties of the system while providing comparable or superior corrosion protection performance to current commercial pigments at lower loading rates. This is especially useful in DTM applications and powder coatings, where corrosion inhibitor options are limited. The encapsulation technology also allows for the processing of the pigments mechanically without premature release of payload, offering formulator flexibility. This presentation will demonstrate some of the advantages of using a matrix-based encapsulation technology to give improved corrosion protection in coatings and paints. The protection of both aluminium and steel substrates will be discussed and compared against standard corrosion-preventing additives using electrochemical and accelerated ageing techniques.