projects most effectively.”
It is still early in its inception, but a number of useful results
have been obtained for AkzoNobel.
“Firstly, the process of jointly developing the program
proposal identified a number of areas where considerable
synergy existed between AkzoNobel’s different application
groups and this has resulted in a number of new internal
cooperations,” said Gibbon. “Secondly, the initial two MSc
projects which were very
different, with one giving
us a method for customers
to avoid premature corro-
sion failure in an automo-
tive application and insight
which will guide the future
development of more robust
products, the other provided
us with a rapid method to
confirm the suitability of
different steels for use in
our chemical plants where
avoidance of corrosion is
key to safe operation.”
The partnership will
provide the company with
new scientific understand-
ing of major challenges in
corrosion control and will
provide new targets for the
development of corrosion
protection products.
“The combination of
AkzoNobel, the global leader in corrosion protection
organic coatings, and The
University of Manchester, one
of the world’s largest centers
of corrosion and material science expertise, is a unique
combination of skills and
equipment, which will be focused on technologically important gaps in the scientific
understanding of corrosion protection, the knowledge generated
will be used to deliver improved corrosion protection products,”
concluded Gibbon.
The partnership will allow the CPC to extend its knowledge
about the mechanisms of corrosion formation, as well as enhance its ability to explore the underpinning science and to develop technology platforms for its prevention.
It is anticipated that the partnership will gear AkzoNobel’s
capabilities and resources by attracting additional funding
from external sources as well as strengthening relationships
with key customers, many of whom already collaborate with
the CPC. CW
corrosion inhibition with sustainable chemistry?,” said Gibbon.
With annual sales of more than €1.5 billion in the field,
AkzoNobel has leading positions in the supply of corrosion inhibiting coatings and specialty chemicals to the transport, oilfield and construction markets.
“The initial areas will be the protection of capital assets under extreme conditions, new alloys in transport applications and
corrosion protection in oil production,” said Gibbons.
As well as allowing for the
opening of a new lab to help
tackle corrosion, the partnership has also resulted in the
appointment of Professor
Stuart Lyon as the AkzoNobel
Professor of Corrosion
Control, based in the School
of Materials, to oversee a
research program to be supported by research staff within UoM. Several post-doctoral
researchers and PhD students
have also been directly employed to work on projects
with active AkzoNobel technical involvement.
“Obviously AkzoNobel is
providing funding which al-
lows Professor Stuart Lyon
to recruit a team to work on
the research, but more than
that we see this as truly being
a partnership,” said Gibbon.
“AkzoNobel worked with the
University to define the most
societally important chal-
lenges in corrosion protection
and then AkzoNobel worked
with the University to define a
number of projects which will
provide new scientific under-
standing optimally using our
“While AkzoNobel chose
to work with the University due to their wide range of rel-
evant expertise and massive range of state-of-the-art equip-
ment, AkzoNobel does not want the University to replicate
either skills or equipment which is available from within
the company, so the University researchers will travel to
AkzoNobel sites to use certain equipment and AkzoNobel
personnel will be regular visitors to Manchester to be an in-
tegral part of the project teams,” he added. “So, AkzoNobel
is not just going to pay the University and wait for the results,
but provide the application knowledge which will focus the
program on the most important challenges and AkzoNobel
will be using its capabilities to help the University tackle the
The University of Manchester is home to the world’s largest academic unit
dedicated to the study of corrosion.
Students from the University of Manchester, who will be working at the lab
specializing in corrosion investigations and impacts.
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