Chemical Engineering March 2022 - 17

DIGITALIZATION INCREASES THE NEED FOR COATINGS THAT
PROTECT ELECTRONICS
Digital transformation initiatives are increasing
the need for corrosion resistance of electronic
components. " Connected devices require
more reliability when deployed in harsh
environments, " says Ryan Moore, marketing
manager for HZO Inc. (Morrisville, N.C.;
www.hzo.com). Moore's company is developing
a range of nano-engineered coatings
for protecting electronic components from
corrosion. These coatings allow compact
electronics to be coated with thinner layers.
" Conventional coatings may provide reliability,
but they must be applied in thick layers
to allow a product to be truly dependable.
So, the sheer thinness of the coatings
are an important performance characteristic, "
Moore says. Nanoscale engineering
also allows for more customization because
more materials can be used, he adds.
As X-rays hit an object, some are
absorbed, producing a transmission
X-ray image, and others are scattered
(Compton scattering). Backscatter
images are formed from the
X-rays that are scattered back toward
the X-ray source. Compton
scattering is material-dependent,
HZO is developing new coating materials,
as well as application processes and
equipment for coating components, such
as printed circuit boards for computers. Last
year, the company received ISO 9001 certification
for its facility in Vietnam.
Dow Inc. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com)
recently introduced Dowsil CC-2588, a tough,
abrasion-resistant conformal coating designed
to protect printed circuit boards from
humidity and corrosion. The silicone-based
coating has " extremely low " VOC content and
cures at room temperature. " While traditional
silicones offer good resistance to humidity
and chemicals, they may lack abrasion resistance
because of their rubbery nature, " Dow
says. " However, Dow's new DOWSIL material,
once cured, is comparable to other resin
conformal coatings in terms of toughness. 
with the lower-atomic-number materials
scattering more strongly than
the higher-numbered ones, Hydrogen,
being a low atomic number, returns
higher Compton backscatter,
so areas that have higher levels of
hydrogen (from water) can indicate
the presence of moisture and can
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reveal locations that might be susceptible
to CUI, Anderson says.
As part of its comprehensive CUI
program, Acuren has also developed
a proprietary method for moisture
detection using the Compton backscatter
method, known as Moisture
Detection Imaging (MDI). Acuren
MDI does not require any insulation
removal and can scan large areas
rapidly to confirm the presence of
moisture without being affected by
temperature conditions.
Remotely operated aerial drones
are also becoming important tools for
screening for and assessing CUI at
industrial sites. Jennifer Dowdle, materials
engineer and senior inspector
at Acuren, says that while drones will
not be suitable for all situations, they
have been used by Acuren to carry
out initial assessments of assets for
CUI. In those cases, the drones were
outfitted with infrared thermography
sensors and ultrasonic probes for
performing follow-up thickness measurements,
she says.
n
Scott Jenkins
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Chemical Engineering March 2022

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