WattGlass has received a USD 150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to further develop its nano-particle coating, designed to make glass anti-reflective, self-cleaning and highly transparent.
WattGlass, a University of Arkansas (UA) tart-up, located in Fayetteville, has received a USD 150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to further develop its nano-particle coating for glass.
WattGlass’ coating is designed to make glass anti-reflective, self-cleaning and highly transparent.
Corey Thompson, founder and CTO of WattGlass, said the coating has many applications, but the company’s primary focus is providing a coating for solar panels.
The Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant will be used to scale up the product, making it a more viable technology, according to the UA.
The project also aims to prove the product is durable when exposed to heat, dust, dirt and other desert elements, he said. If both objectives are successful, the company will be able to apply for Phase II funding of up to USD 750,000.
Thompson said the grant will enable him to continue his research in Arkansas, create a new Ph.D. position and hire another Ph.D. assistant. Thompson is an alumni of the UA’s microelectronics-photonics doctoral program.
WattGlass, based at the UA’s Arkansas Research & Technology Park, was founded in 2014 and received seed capital from the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority’s Technology Development Program and local angel investors. The initial research for the product was funded through the National Science Foundation, the Vertically-Integrated Center for Transformative Energy Research and the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.