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Nano World: Clear, hard nano-based coating

A transparent coating loaded with particles only nanometers or
billionths of a meter in diameter is far harder than other
conventional organic coatings on the market, for potential use in
everything from iPods and cell phones to car windows and flexible
video displays, experts told UPI's Nano World.

Akron, Ohio-based Ecology Coatings has developed a new coating for
polycarbonate plastics. Polycarbonate is extremely tough and naturally
transparent and is one of the most widely used engineered materials in
the world, finding its way into lightweight eyeglass lenses, safer
cars, shatterproof windows, computer parts and hundreds of other
products.

"The hope is to replace glass with something lighter and more
breakage-resistant," said Ecology Coatings Chief Chemist Sally Ramsey.

While polycarbonate is very breakage-resistant, it is easily
scratched, Ramsey explained. Polycarbonate is often given coatings to
improve its scratch resistance, but these are not always very strong
and can compromise the material's transparency, adversely affecting
other aspects of a device's performance. For instance, scratched iPod
and cell-phone screens can drain energy as users try to brighten them
up in order to read them properly.

In analyses of the new coating, New Berlin, Wis.-based coatings
specialist company Tekra found it rated three to four levels harder
than any conventional organic coating on the market today according to
the Japanese Industry Standard, a rigorous test for coating hardness.
This means it is "at least 50 percent harder," Ramsey said.

"Ecology Coatings has developed a technology for polycarbonates that
throws the door open wide on a whole new set of performance properties
that benefit manufacturers and consumers," said Tekra Research and
Development Manager Jason Wichmann.

The key to the coating's strength and transparency are oxide
nanoparticles roughly 50 nanometers wide. These hard particles help
prevent abrasive edges and surfaces from penetrating and scratching
the coating. At the same time, the nanoparticles are small enough to
allow light to pass through undisturbed.

"We are finding that in order to stay at the cutting edge of the new
industrials, companies need to start looking at nanomaterials or risk
quickly becoming dinosaurs," Wichmann said.

Developing a technique in which a coating will stick onto a surface
without inadvertently clouding it up was "the biggest challenge,"
Ramsey said. The solution they came up with uses ultraviolet light to
quickly cure the coating applied to the polycarbonate without etching
the surface. This process contains no toxic solvents, water or other
liquids.

In addition to incorporating oxide nanoparticles into coatings, "we
are also exploring the incorporation of other substances to deliver
specialized properties. These basic clear coats are exciting, but they
are just the beginning," Ramsey said.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International




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I am sure you are an intelligent guy, but maybe you should have condensed
your post into a nanopost.


"Rich" wrote in message
...
Nano World: Clear, hard nano-based coating

A transparent coating loaded with particles only nanometers or
billionths of a meter in diameter is far harder than other
conventional organic coatings on the market, for potential use in
everything from iPods and cell phones to car windows and flexible
video displays, experts told UPI's Nano World.

Akron, Ohio-based Ecology Coatings has developed a new coating for
polycarbonate plastics. Polycarbonate is extremely tough and naturally
transparent and is one of the most widely used engineered materials in
the world, finding its way into lightweight eyeglass lenses, safer
cars, shatterproof windows, computer parts and hundreds of other
products.

"The hope is to replace glass with something lighter and more
breakage-resistant," said Ecology Coatings Chief Chemist Sally Ramsey.

While polycarbonate is very breakage-resistant, it is easily
scratched, Ramsey explained. Polycarbonate is often given coatings to
improve its scratch resistance, but these are not always very strong
and can compromise the material's transparency, adversely affecting
other aspects of a device's performance. For instance, scratched iPod
and cell-phone screens can drain energy as users try to brighten them
up in order to read them properly.

In analyses of the new coating, New Berlin, Wis.-based coatings
specialist company Tekra found it rated three to four levels harder
than any conventional organic coating on the market today according to
the Japanese Industry Standard, a rigorous test for coating hardness.
This means it is "at least 50 percent harder," Ramsey said.

"Ecology Coatings has developed a technology for polycarbonates that
throws the door open wide on a whole new set of performance properties
that benefit manufacturers and consumers," said Tekra Research and
Development Manager Jason Wichmann.

The key to the coating's strength and transparency are oxide
nanoparticles roughly 50 nanometers wide. These hard particles help
prevent abrasive edges and surfaces from penetrating and scratching
the coating. At the same time, the nanoparticles are small enough to
allow light to pass through undisturbed.

"We are finding that in order to stay at the cutting edge of the new
industrials, companies need to start looking at nanomaterials or risk
quickly becoming dinosaurs," Wichmann said.

Developing a technique in which a coating will stick onto a surface
without inadvertently clouding it up was "the biggest challenge,"
Ramsey said. The solution they came up with uses ultraviolet light to
quickly cure the coating applied to the polycarbonate without etching
the surface. This process contains no toxic solvents, water or other
liquids.

In addition to incorporating oxide nanoparticles into coatings, "we
are also exploring the incorporation of other substances to deliver
specialized properties. These basic clear coats are exciting, but they
are just the beginning," Ramsey said.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International




This news is brought to you by PhysOrg.com