P2i Ltd of Oxford, UK has attracted investment from Unilever Ventures, the investment arm of the household products giant for the further development of ion-mask, a nanotech coating that makes surfaces super-hydrophobic, or water resistant.
The funding will allow P2i to accelerate the introduction of it ion-mask technology across more markets.
“The past few months have seen some amazing developments for us, not only signing our first high street customer for ion-mask but winning a prestigious innovation award,” said P2i’s Business Development Director, Ian Robins.
“The benefits of ion-mask enhancement are well-known in performance textiles and laboratory disposables, but with this additional investment we will now be able to take ion-mask to a far wider audience.”
ion-mask works by applying a protective layer, just nanometres thick, over the entire surface of a product by means of an ionised gas or plasma. The layer is molecularly bound to the surface and will not leach away. This transforms the surface of the product, making it highly water repellent while leaving the other properties unchanged. Invisible to the naked eye, ion-mask allows materials to breathe but stops water ingress, which bounces off the surface like beads of mercury.
P2i Ltd was established in 2004 to commercialise super liquid-repellent treatments developed by the UK Ministry of Defence. Now on a commercial scale, P2i’s enhancement process can be applied to a wide range of products and it has been commercialised in the fields of performance textiles, filtration and bio-consumables markets.
Unilever Ventures joins existing investors, Porton Capital and Ploughshare Innovations.
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