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Emerging Scanning Results: Nano-Coatings and Powders

PATH Roadmap Applicability:

Summary

Imagine a golf club that is still in use by your great, great-grand child. It has never been refurbished and it looks almost new. This particular golf club was made over 100 years earlier with a nano-coating over the head of the club designed to provide a long lasting finish. So long, in fact, that the club handle will need to be refurbished many times before the head even begins to look slightly used. Imagine the same coatings used on the wear surfaces of products in your home. Moving parts in your HVAC system or appliances that last longer than the home. Or coated sidings or roofing that not only resist normal wear and tear, but also resist hail and other high impact loadings.

Nano-coatings are materials that are produced by shrinking the material at the molecular level to form a denser product. They are produced using a electrodeposition process pioneered through a collaborative effort in Ontario, Canada, and are now being produced for commercial purposes. The end result is a material that is stronger and more-durable than in its original form. Reducing the molecular structure improves nearly all of the mechanical properties of the material including yield strength, tensile strength, fatigue strength, and elongation. One downside is that nano-materials decrease the ductility of the material.

Integran technologies of Toronto produces commercially available nano-coatings applied to steel and other conductive surfaces. The manufacturer claims these coatings are competitive with the cost of conventional materials, they are not expensive high tech products. Nano-coating are applied to conductive surfaces directly using an electro-plating process. They also produce nano-materials in powder form for additives.

Application to PATH Roadmaps

Use of nano-coatings may offer improved durability for a number of building products including advanced building panels. Probably the most obvious is as a coating over metals for roofing or siding applications.  The coating is available in a variety of colors. The added durability could resist the need to recoat the steel at periodic intervals and thus substantially reduce maintenance costs.

It is also possible, according to this manufacturer, to use powdered nano-materials for other building products such as asphalt roof materials to increase durability. CuO is already used on asphalt shingles to reduce moss and mold growth. Intergran makes CuO with particle sizes much smaller than the conventional material. This type of additive could increase the durability of asphalt shingles with a tougher surface material.

Nano-coatings and materials may also play a part in the advancement of the Whole-house Roadmap.  They may be particularly appealing for factory-built components throughout the home.

Current Status of Technology

Nano-materials are commercially available materials. According to Integran Technologies, they are now competitive with many traditional materials. The materials can be purchased from a catalog or designed for specific uses.

Although the materials are commercial available and are listed in catalogs, care is necessary to make sure the grain size is appropriate for the application. For example, one challenge of the industry is to balance the desire for improved strength and durability against the low ductility that could be inappropriate for certain applications. Current research is focused on developing nano-coatings and materials that have high strength while retaining their ductility.

Contact Information

Klauss Tomantschger
Integran Technologies, Inc.
Toronto
Phone: (416) 675-6266, ext.32
Email: klaus@integran.com

Content updated on 4/14/2003