EcoBarrier

EcoBarrier is a superhydrophobic coating which is far superior to conventional waterproofing. In a demonstration video, a coated piece of card can be seen being dipped into a glass of water and coming out dry.

The team are currently raising bridge financing to secure customer contracts, build commercial momentum, and achieve key milestones ahead of a £5m investment round.

The target market is food and drinks packaging, a growing market which is predicted to exceed $1tn by 2030.

Developed by Dr Colin Crick and Dr Emma Sadler, EcoBarrier’s formulation repels water and oil and is tailored for immediate and seamless integration into production lines, making it perfect for replacing the plastic lining in cardboard food and drinks packaging.

The technology has many other applications, from repelling graffiti to insulating buildings. EcoBarrier have also applied their coatings commercially to create self-cleaning road signs. The invention is built on a decade of research at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Liverpool.