As modern technology continues to evolve, modern building methods must also evolve in order to improve along with improved technologies. In todays modern construction and manufacturing industry, billions of dollars are spent annually repairing deteriorating and failing infrastructure and machinery. Bridges, highways, and buildings all over the country are all in a state of disrepair. Of the many issues contributing to the failing infrastructure problem in the U.S, the most commonly battled is corrosion caused by chlorides and moisture penetration in steel, concrete and other infrastructure materials.

    One method to prevent the ingress of moisture and chlorides in building materials, is to coat the building materials with a thermoplastic polymer or epoxy powder coat. Powder coating involves shooting a prepped metallic surface with a positively electrically charged powder. The particles adhere to the surface, which is then baked so that the material sets properly. This process forms a protective coating over the surface, preventing bare metal from exposure to the environment. This in turn prevents ingress of moisture and chlorides, which then cause the deterioration seen in our infrastructure. In construction for example, such methods are used to protect reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete, structural steel used for bridge construction, as well as many others.

    Still, the powder coating method is not 100% effective. Imperfections in the coating process, such as uneven particle distribution and improper curing, can oftentimes lead to coating and material failure. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of an electric field on such charged particles surface deposition in order to improve the applied coating. Through this work, a better understanding of charged particle deposition will be achieved, leading to an improved method for coating these materials. Such improvements could in turn help significantly reduce future costs.