Marine Biofouling Mitigation and Innovative Broad Band Hydrophobic Glass Development

The Navy seeks an innovative nanotechnology to mitigate broadband AR coating challenges. In this STTR topic, the Navy is looking for a cost effective and environmentally friendly innovative approach to mitigating biofouling on submerged glass and sensors. At present, there is no large aperture broad spectral band commercially available for a high strength and extreme low loss head window is available. TIPD, LLC in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth proposes to develop a new, environment-friendly, wide spectral band from visible to mid-IR, high optical transmission, and high strength hydrophobic beam director head window material based on barium/lanthanum-zinc-gallium-germanate glass with nanostructured (random antireflection coating) RAR and hydrophobic coatings providing non-fouling and biofouling mitigation properties that will meet all Navy’s requirements. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of developing novel material and coatings, study bio-fouling mitigation by producing and testing variety of samples.