Conference Speakers

Drake Goolsby

Director, Intellectual Property Commercialization, Battelle

BIOGRAPHY

Drake Goolsby is currently Director, Business Development and IP Commercialization at Battelle. He has 15 years of diverse operational and strategy experience and is focused on developing high value commercialization pathways across Battelle’s broad IP portfolio. Prior to joining Battelle, he most recently worked at Texas Health Resources, where he served as Director of Operational Transformation and was responsible for leading the innovation pipeline development and implementation of systemwide operational efficiency programs. Prior to that, Drake spent 7 years with PepsiCo in a General Manager role leading contract manufacturing operations across North America, leading various operational acquisitions, new product launches, and divestitures. Drake is a graduate of Trinity University with a master's degree in Healthcare Administration and Louisiana Tech University with a MBA and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also serves as President and Chair of Board of Directors for 4 Corners Global Outreach, a non-profit that focuses on delivering healthcare to indigenous tribes in Costa Rica.

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Intelligent Heating: A Flexible Conductive Coating for Nonwovens

Battelle has created a smart conductive coating that can be used on nonwoven fabrics and other flexible or irregular substrates. Battelle HeatCoat™ offers a unique blend of performance characteristics that can be used to create nonwoven fabrics that generate even, gentle warming without negatively impacting the properties of the fabric itself. It is well-known that nonwoven materials are increasingly popular for both consumer and industrial applications, from hospital gowns to heavy-duty construction materials. How many of these nonwoven products could benefit from a lightweight, integrated heat source?

A new heater coating system from Battelle brings the benefits of carbon nanotube technology (CNT) to the nonwoven materials industry. CNT coatings are lightweight, conductive and can be applied in a thin layer that does not interfere with the performance characteristics of nonwoven materials. Battelle’s HeatCoat consists of a formulation of dispersed single walled carbon nanotubes. When applied (spray, dipped or roll coated) to the surface of the nonwoven fabric, it forms a thin conductive layer that generates heat when power is applied. The CNT coating is applied in a very thin layer that does not change the flexibility or drape of the fabric to which it is applied and does not add unwanted weight or bulk to the final product. HeatCoat maintains conductivity even when bent and delivers uniform, predictable heat on soft, flexible and irregular substrates. It offers several advantages over traditional heater coating solutions. We will discuss the technology, the coating processes to yield thin uniform layers, and outline the overarching performance characteristics that can then be tailored to meet numerous applications in a broad range of markets, with varying requirements associated with heat and temperature considerations.