MICOATEC

The MICOATEC project ambitions to develop a new environmental friendly process to produce anti-corrosive coatings using a biomimetic strategy. The starting point is the recognition that the layer that naturally forms on certain metal surfaces as a result of microorganism/metal interactions protects these surfaces from corrosion. Thus, mastering the growth process of the protective layer and its physical-chemical properties will be the basis to enable the artificial replication of the protective layer as an anti-corrosive coating for metal protection. The consortium, composed of 5 partners (3 academics and 2 private companies) with multidisciplinary expertise (bioelectrochemistry, biofilm engineering, surface science, corrosion properties, material engineering, surface treatment, (electro)chemical engineering and technologic transfer) will follow a ‘biotic versus abiotic’ methodology in order to identify the key parameters and the mechanisms involved in the protective layer formation process. The intersectorial approach will allow validating the replicated layer as an efficient protective solution at Lab and industry scales.