When James Rogers, CEO of Apeel Sciences, was working on his PhD in flexible solar panel technology at UC Santa Barbara, he thought he’d be playing a big role in developing sub-nanometer thin-film photovoltaic panels and other related technologies. Little did he realize that at some point in the future he’d be transferring some of the technology concepts he’d been developing to protect produce.
During a trip through the Salinas “Salad Bowl,” he realized the problem in feeding the world was not necessarily in growing food, but keeping it viable once picked and transported. He thought about the concept of stainless steel and how molybdenum and chromium atoms create a thin, protective surface layer on the stainless steel, keeping it from rusting.