As hydrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other emerging technologies introduce new materials performance challenges across critical industries, the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) and the Advanced Carbons Council (ACC) are joining forces to help industry better understand and address evolving risks.
As hydrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other emerging technologies introduce new materials performance challenges across critical industries, the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) and the Advanced Carbons Council (ACC) are joining forces to help industry better understand and address evolving risks.
The organizations have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance technical knowledge, standards development, research, and education at the intersection of advanced carbon materials and materials protection and performance. The collaboration will initially focus on carbon-enhanced coatings, with opportunities to expand into other areas of mutual interest as technologies and industry needs evolve.
The partnership will move quickly from agreement to action. Its first initiative will be an AMPP Forefront Series Webcast on September 10, 2026, “Advanced Carbon Materials in Coatings Applications,” focused on advanced engineered carbon materials – including graphene, graphene derivatives, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) – as transformative additives in protective coatings technologies.
“As new technologies move from development into real-world applications, industry needs to understand how advanced materials are being formulated, evaluated, and deployed and how these relate to more traditional coatings technologies,” said Sarah Olthof, Senior Manager of Technical Advancement at AMPP. “Working with the Advanced Carbons Council allows us to bring the right technical communities together earlier, share knowledge, and help turn emerging science into practical guidance that supports safer, more reliable assets.”
Under the MoU, AMPP and ACC will explore joint webinars, meetings, workshops, publications and research initiatives. The organizations may also identify opportunities for cooperation among their technical committees and standards activities, connecting subject matter experts from industry and academia while reducing unnecessary duplication of effort.
“Advanced carbon materials are opening new possibilities for coatings, infrastructure and energy technologies, but successful adoption depends on understanding how those materials perform in demanding operating environments,” said Terrance Barkan, Executive Director of the Advanced Carbons Council. “Our partnership with AMPP connects advanced materials expertise with the corrosion, coatings and asset protection knowledge needed to move promising technologies toward practical industry applications.”
The collaboration is intended to create stronger connections among materials developers, engineers, researchers, asset owners and other technical professionals working to solve emerging materials performance challenges. Research cooperation may include industry surveys, university or consortium-based research, dissemination of findings and other initiatives identified by the organizations.
The MoU became effective July 6, 2026, and will remain in effect for three years.
