AeroPel: An Innovation in the War Against Corrosion

Coatings/Corrosion Prevention

The Problem: The estimated impact of Corrosion on Cost & Availability of DoD Weapon Systems is $20 billion per year, and when combined with corrosion-related maintenance costs for infrastructure and facilities, corrosion costs represent a significant portion of total DoD maintenance costs. Beyond cost impacts, there are positive improvements to mission capability and effectiveness through increased readiness achieved via corrosion mitigation/prevention.

The Innovative Solution: AeroPel APW100 is water-based, Non-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), Chromate-Free coating resistant to corrosive elements, fuels, hydraulic fluids, and surface abrasion. It provides corrosion and erosion protection on coated or uncoated steel or aluminum alloys by providing hydrophobic properties to prevent moisture penetration of a treated surface with additional benefits of Ultra-Violet (UV) protection. AeroPel APW100 has been tested for 1,500 hours in salt spray exposure without any degradation, survived 90° bend tests when exposed to -62°C for two hours without cracking, and can operate in environments ranging from -110°F to 400°F (-80°C to 204°C).

DOW Benefits: AeroPel APW100 is a product that is easy to apply with minimal preparation and application requirements. The simplicity of the preparation, application, and inspection of APW100 leads directly to an improved process timeline. Rework time is greatly reduced because APW100 may be reapplied to areas with little to no removal of existing product. Downtime is greatly reduced as the time between coats is only 1 hour and the cure to service time is 24 hours. However, overcoats may be done anywhere from 1 hour and 4 days, giving wide flexibility in completing parallel tasks. The average interval between conventional corrosion management efforts is 18 months. APW100 offers a substantial benefit in that the product is expected to last 5 years or more. All the above efficiency improvements combine to provide an overall reduction in total life-cycle costs of corrosion control.

Challenges, Technical Maturity, and Results: APW100 is an already developed, field tested and proven nanocomposite protective layer (NPL) which does not face significant development or application challenges and has been industry proven through various examples. AeroPel passed MIL-PRF-85285E testing at Tyndall AFB in 2025. HH-46 helicopter rotor blades have been coated to reduce leading edge erosion which resulted in an increased maintenance interval from 10 to 100 hours. Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 had APW100 applied to horizontal stabilizer leading edge fasteners to mitigate galvanic corrosion and has resulted in no corrosion observed after 8 months of flight test. Asia-Pacific United Airlines 737 had APW100 applied to outboard wing lower panels which has resulted in no corrosion observed after 2 plus years of flight operations. 10 pieces of F-35 Support Equipment was coated with APW100 in August of 2025 and has been deployed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. After one year, APW100 has provided a significant reduction of corrosion onset despite the difficult environment at sea. Military base structures in Guam and Hawaii had AeroPel applied in 2025. All items coated exhibited no rust or pitting after six‑month exposure to Guam’s high‑humidity, salt‑spray environment.