Our Story
The challenge
Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon that; like other natural hazards; can impact on public safety, the economy, and the environment. The most widely used corrosion inhibitor for decades has been banned in the EU, which posed an industry-wide problem to find an effective, safe alternative.
The search for a solution…
The Swansea University Corrosion Research Group recognised the issue and embarked on the challenge of finding a replacement. The team took a new approach to solving the problem: they moved their research away from iterations of current substitutes and explored smart-release vehicles that can hold onto chemicals that were previously incompatible with coatings. In 2015, CEO and founder of Hexigone Inhibitors, Dr Patrick Dodds, discovered a mechanism of protection that outperformed hexavalent chromate in laboratory tests, and the road to an innovative spin-out company began.
Hexigone Inhibitors was born!
The impact of the discovery was huge, and through winning awards and funding through Armourers and Brasiers, Brian Mercer Trust and the Royal Academy of Engineering, Hexigone Inhibitors was born. We built on this investment and secured revenue through Innovate UK, the British Business Bank Future Fund and private investors to produce our safe, effective Intelli-ion® for the multi-million pound anti-corrosion additives market.
We are proud to have been recognised by numerous awarding bodies along our journey:
‘Emerging Technology’ Award from Royal Society of Chemistry in 2019
Corrosion Innovation Award 2021 from Materials Performance (MP)
British Coatings Federation Awards 2022 in the Sustainable Innovation category
Additionally, Hexigone has been granted three patents covering various regions globally: Novel Technology Patent and Improved Corrosion Inhibition Incorporating Phosphates.
Global vision and strategy
The Intelli-ion® technology is being formulated to create smart, anti-corrosion coatings across the globe -ranging from the world’s largest multi-national coating manufacturers to smaller niche coating manufacturers.
Our aim is to make Intelli-ion® the industry standard that protects our infrastructure and transport for longer - helping to make communities safer and more sustainable.