J. David Smith | CEO and Alex Ewing | COO | LiqiuGlide

Anyone who has struggled to get ketchup out of a bottle or had to cut open a package and
scraped for the last bit of lotion knows that viscous liquids stick to solid surfaces. This problem
leads to inefficacies across industries. And the reason for these inefficiencies is the no-slip
boundary condition. It’s a term that refers to the interface between viscous liquids and solids
where the liquids stick rather than slide. Invented at MIT, LiquiGlide’s technology eliminates
the no-slip boundary condition and allows viscous liquids to slide effortlessly.

LiquiGlide’s mission is to fundamentally alter interfaces between liquids and solids to eliminate
waste, save lives and enable a new engineering paradigm.
Based on the science of liquid impregnated surfaces, LiquiGlide creates durable, slippery
surfaces by trapping liquids in micro or nano-scale textured features that stabilize the liquid
beneath the product, creating a slippery, liquid surface.

LiquiGlide’s technology platform enables custom-design of coatings for endless
applications—consumer packaged goods, manufacturing processes, medical devices, and oil
pipelines. In the near-term, LiquiGlide is focused on commercializing its technology in three
areas: packaging, manufacturing, and medical devices.

In consumer packaging, viscous liquids sticking to solids causes waste, consumer frustration, and imposes significant limits on the way companies can package products. LiquiGlide is working with some of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies to enable rigid, clear, recyclable packaging that are aesthetically pleasing and allows consumers to get every drop without the hassle.

Viscous products sticking to manufacturing vessels is another pervasive problem. LiquiGlide’s
CleanTanX platform offers an alternative to antiquated manufacturing practices by eliminating
extraneous equipment and reducing yield loss and waste water costs associated with production
tanks and other vessels used in the processing of viscous liquids.

In addition, thrombosis (formation of blood clots) is a significant problem in the field of medical devices because it can lead to occlusion (clogging), requiring a procedure to replace or unclog the device. LiquiGlide’s surfaces can offer a significant improvement in attenuating thrombosis and preventing occlusion.

About:
Founded in 2012 by Dave Smith and MIT professor Kripa Varanasi, has built a robust global IP
portfolio that includes more than 150 patent applications from proprietary patent families as well as families exclusively licensed from MIT, from which 19 patents have issued (8 in the U.S.). LiquiGlide has been featured in the The Economist, BBC World News, TechCrunch, the PBS NewsHour and many other news outlets. www.liquiglide.com

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