Carlex Glass America LLC has exclusively licensed optically clear, superhydrophobic coating technology from the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), initially aimed at advancing glass products for the automotive sector.

ORNL's development of a water-repellent, transparent coating that carries away dust and dirt, reduces light reflection, and resists fingerprints and smudges resulted from more than three years of research on superhydrophobic glass-based coatings.

Carlex manufactures automotive glass products, including windshields, side glass, and rear glass components for top-tier automakers, OEMs, and aftermarket industries. Carlex intends to leverage the benefits of ORNL's thin, highly durable superhydrophobic coating technology to help improve driver visibility and safety, especially during inclement weather, a leading cause of vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

"This agreement with ORNL is rooted in our belief that collaboration between industry and scientific research is critical to driving disruptive innovation and developing cutting-edge technologies that will have a positive outcome on society," said Michael Bard, director of advanced product development at Carlex.

"We're enhancing products to assure that Carlex remains at the forefront of addressing today's driver safety challenges, while also developing technologies that will meet the complex needs of a thriving and changing automotive industry," Bard said. “ORNL brings a great degree of creativity in approaching innovation. This, combined with Carlex's deep knowledge and expertise in automotive glass industry, gives us confidence that we will achieve great success.”

Carlex will further develop ORNL's superhydrophobic technology at its Advanced Product Development Innovation Center in Nashville.