RadiSurf is a spin-off company from Aarhus University in Denmark and was established in 2015 with a patented technology developed at the university as the foundation. They provide molecular adhesion technology for the industry with their main focus being to help customers solve adhesion problems between metal and plastic components.
Radisurf creates nanometer-thin surface coatings on metals so they can be secured with plastics & other dissimilar materials through < 100 nm long polymer brushes. Their polymer brushes are polymer chains chemically bonded to a surface such as a metal, glass or ceramic and free to move in the other end — visualized as a nano-Velcro structure. The free end can be designed to match a plastic material and hence create a direct chemical link between otherwise vastly different materials such as a metal and a plastic.
That's what makes them unique. Their RadiBond technology combines chemically different materials, while traditional glue only works with chemically similar materials. Because the RadiBond adhesion technology is controlled at the molecular level to create direct chemical bonds between materials, the materials can easily be disassembled again without any contaminations from the “glue” — a critical parameter for the recycling of plastic materials.
INAM's journey with Radisurf began almost 2 years ago when they joined the network as a member and soon after were chosen as a finalist for the 2019 AdMaCom Program. Recently, Radisurf received an EIC grant of almost €1.5 Million. RadiSurf has enabled, as the first actor miles ahead of competitors, to transform this adhesive innovation into a fast, safe, scalable, and reversible process, providing the foundation for a sustainable production that can be easily integrated into exiting manufacturing assembly lines. With this grant, they will focus on transitioning from a small R&D provider to a manufacturing company selling sustainable bonding solutions. If you'd like to learn more about Radisurf's technology, visit their website: https://www.radisurf.com
And you can also listen to Radisurf's CEO, Mikkel Kongsfet, on the Start Up the Science Podcast here: https://www.inam.berlin/startupthescience/episode/95dfa0e4/episode-5-radisurf-or-design-the-adhesion-technology-of-tomorrow