Scalable amorphous metal-oxide barrier coatings for paper packaging
Swift Coat's AIDA process deposits amorphous metal-oxide barrier layers onto paper packaging to meet oxygen and water-vapor transmission specs while remaining recyclable and cost-effective at food-packaging volumes.
Overview
Swift Coat, Inc. is developing scalable amorphous metal-oxide barrier coatings for paper-based food packaging using its proprietary Aerosol Impaction-Driven Assembly (AIDA) process. The goal is to deliver oxygen and water-vapor barrier performance that meets food-packaging specifications without complicating recycling and at costs and speeds compatible with high-volume production. The company is seeking a packaging industry partner to co-validate the technology on relevant substrates and accelerate its path to commercial deployment.
Technical specifications
- Deposition method: AIDA is a dry, aerosol-based spray process that deposits amorphous metal-oxide thin films at high speed onto sheets or webs up to several meters wide.
- Coating materials: Amorphous metal oxides including silica and titania, which are already used in Swift Coat's commercial products for building materials and solar applications.
- Substrate compatibility: Designed for paper-based packaging substrates; previously demonstrated on glass, plastics, and textured surfaces.
- Barrier performance: Preliminary results show effective moisture-barrier behavior on textured substrates, including use by an LED manufacturer to protect a silver reflector from corrosion.
- Scalability: Capable of coating coupon-sized samples up to full-width webs, supporting a transition from laboratory validation to production-scale manufacturing.
- Recyclability focus: Coatings are intended to preserve the recyclability of paper-based packaging rather than add complexity to existing recycling streams.
Technology readiness level
The AIDA deposition platform is already commercialized for building material and solar industry products. For paper-packaging barrier applications, silica layers have been successfully deposited onto paper substrates, and moisture-barrier effectiveness has been demonstrated on non-paper textured substrates. The next stage of validation will measure oxygen and water-vapor transmission rates on paper-based substrates before and after creasing, using statistically designed experiments that vary coating thickness, layer material, and number of layers. Validation will progress from coupon-sized samples to full-width webs. Swift Coat is actively seeking an experienced packaging partner to provide substrates, perform vapor-transmission measurements, and help guide development toward food-packaging requirements.
About Swift Coat, Inc.
Swift Coat, Inc. is a nanotechnology company specializing in advanced functional coatings, particularly thin-film deposition technology. The company utilizes a proprietary process known as Aerosol Impaction-Driven Assembly (AIDA), a dry spray method that allows for the precise tuning of refractive index and surface roughness on complex, large-area substrates. By applying these engineered nanostructures, Swift Coat creates high-performance coatings that provide anti-reflective, anti-fog, and anti-soiling properties, significantly enhancing the durability and efficiency of critical components across the aerospace, solar, and semiconductor industries.
Originally a spinout from Arizona State University, the company has transitioned from research to commercial-scale manufacturing to address the rising demand for resilient high-tech materials, including specialized solutions for NASA’s xEMU spacesuit and the U.S. satellite market. By providing coatings that improve solar cell power output and ensure clearer optical systems for space missions, Swift Coat enables customers to optimize the performance of technology deployed in both extreme orbital environments and terrestrial applications. The company continues to scale its manufacturing capacity and workforce in Phoenix, Arizona, supported by federal research grants and strategic partnerships with industry and economic organizations.
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