SOMERSET, NJ – NEI Corp., Somerset, NJ, and Chisso Corp. of Japan have signed an agreement to develop a new class of self-healing coatings for flat-panel displays and related markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Chisso Corp. will fund the effort, and NEI Corp. will build upon its core competency in nanoscale materials and self-healing technology to develop self-healing coatings for the intended applications. The initial term of the agreement is 12 months.
 
Exchange of data and samples over the course of several months between NEI and Chisso has culminated in this joint development agreement. NEI Corp. will synthesize and formulate the self-healing coatings at its laboratories in New Jersey. Engineers and chemists at Chisso Corp. will evaluate the samples developed by NEI and tailor the program to meet their customers’ requirements.
 
Self-healing coatings available to date have several shortcomings, such as low surface hardness and an inability to be healed multiple times. NEI Corp. has developed a new class of self-healing coatings that overcome these problems. This self-healing phenomenon has been demonstrated to date in polyurethane.
 
“We have identified a number of applications where our customers would like to have a self-healing coating,” said Chisso’s Yozo Shimomura. “This will add value to our products.”
 
NEI’s Ganesh Skandan stated, “We are excited about transitioning our self-healing technology into real-world applications. We are especially pleased to be partnered with Chisso Corp, who has well- developed global markets.”