PFAS-free Coatings

Sabrina Hilbt holds a degree in Business Administration and has over 14 years of experience at Dörken Coatings. After starting her career in marketing and product management, she moved into sales, where she is responsible for coating companies and OEMs in Germany and the UK. She is a PFAS expert in the field of zinc flake coating systems, where she plays a key role in driving the transition of Dörken’s portfolio towards PFAS-free solutions.

Graduated from the University of Lille and the ITECH engineering school in polymer chemistry, Marie-Claude has been working for seven years in the coatings sector, particularly in the construction, electronics, and aerospace fields. Marie-Claude joined Applus Rescoll two years ago as a project manager, where her experience is applied to adhesives and polymer materials. As part of the European BIO-SUSHY project, Marie-Claude is working on the development of PFAS-free water-repellent coatings for the textile industry.

Tanja Berning began her professional career in 2014 with an apprenticeship as a paint laboratory technician at BYK. Since 2018, she has been working in technical service for Special Coatings Liquid, where she supports international customers in the areas of can, coil, and general industrial coatings. In 2023, she took on the role of End Use Specialist for Can & Coil Coatings and has since been responsible for technical customer support in Europe. An extended professional stay abroad with BYK in the USA enabled her to gain valuable international experience and deepen her understanding of global market requirements.

Dmitry Chernyshov holds PhD in polymer chemistry from Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds where he worked on synthesis and application of inorganic polymers and composites. After finishing his PhD and postdoctoral studies at Bayer AG in 2003 he started his professional career within the coating division of DuPont as a formulation chemist for automotive and refinish paints. In 2011 he joined Momentive Performance Materials as an application development specialist for the business unit silanes. In his current role he is responsible for technical support and development of new applications for silicones and silanes in Coatings Adhesives and Sealants.

Doctoral researcher at Aalto University, focusing on PFAS-free bio-based multifunctional coatings for protective textiles. Expertise in sustainable textile finishing, biopolymer synthesis, and technical textiles for healthcare applications. Holds two B.Sc. degrees in Textile and Civil Engineering, alongside an M.Sc. in Textile Chemistry. Former lecturer at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, with leadership roles in ISO-accredited textile laboratory development and international relations. Experienced trainer in ZDHC chemical management systems. Published researcher with interdisciplinary knowledge in bio-based materials and scalable textile coating systems. Fluent in English and Amharic, with basic Finnish proficiency. Passionate about cultural heritage and ancient technologies influencing modern materials.

Experienced R&D and technology leader with more than 10 years of expertise in advanced coating technologies, surface engineering, and product commercialization. Led the development of innovative coating systems for water filtration, anti-corrosion, anti-fouling, and highly durable surface applications. Roles have included CTO, R&D Manager, and R&D Scientist, with responsibilities spanning technology development, formulation testing, patent and IP strategy, project coordination, partner engagement, and commercialization. Successfully managed projects supported by Innovation Norway, including the Nanoatten/IPNCV program, while driving industrial innovation from concept through validation and market readiness.

Dr Navid Mostofi Sarkari is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Materials Engineering (MTM), KU Leuven, Belgium. His research focuses on interfacial phenomena involving wetting, icing, and surface engineering, with particular emphasis on developing PFAS-free anti-/de-icing, defrosting, and omniphobic technologies. He obtained his PhD in Materials Engineering from KU Leuven in 2025 within the SURFICE MSCA EU Innovative Training Network, where his work concentrated on understanding ice–solid interfacial interactions and translating fundamental insights into practical PFAS-free surface design strategies. His current research and valorization activities focus on sustainable, energy-efficient defrostable surfaces for next-generation refrigeration systems, as well as on energy-efficient thermal de-icing systems for aerospace applications. His work combines interfacial science, surface characterization, coating development, and scalable engineering approaches to bridge fundamental research with industrial implementation and societal impact.

Niklas Wilms is Technical Marketing Manager EMEA at LANXESS, Polymer Additives. He focuses on the commercialization of innovative additive technologies for coatings, polymer, and specialty applications, with particular emphasis on regulatory trends, sustainability, and formulation development. Niklas holds a Master of Science in Business Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.

Director Sales, Vincentz Network