Coating

Silica nanoparticles make wool even more wonderful

By Darren Quick

21:54 December 22, 2009 PST

Already regarded as a “wonder fabric” for its lightness, softness, warmth even when wet, and other qualities, scientists from China say they have been able to improve on the natural properties of wool. They say their discovery could give wool a “brain,” placing it among other “smart” fabrics that shake off wrinkles, shrinkage and “breathe” to release perspiration. Read More

Ceramic coated exhausts protect panniers and pillions

By Alan Brandon

14:38 December 16, 2009 PST

Nothing ruins a motorcycle trip like the smell of burning nylon and the sight of your possessions scattered across the highway. Soft-sided panniers are great when you want to pack some gear for a weekend getaway, but they’re not so great if they come into contact with your bike’s hot exhaust pipe. By applying a Zircotec ceramic coating to your bike’s exhaust system, the manufacturer says you can get rid of the heat shields and protect your panniers (and passenger!) from heat damage. Read More

Low-cost, durable, lightweight battery made from paper

By Darren Quick

19:35 December 7, 2009 PST

By dipping an ordinary piece of paper into ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, scientists have been able to create a low-cost battery or supercapacitor that is ultra-lightweight, bendable and very durable. The paper can be crumpled, folded or even soaked in acidic or basic solutions and still will work. Read More

Nanosized drug delivery systems take a leap forward

By Dario Borghino

19:03 November 3, 2009 PST

Blood vessels that supply tumors are more porous than normal vessels, makes nanoscale drug delivery systems a particularly attractive prospect. If properly engineered, nanoparticles can in fact get inside a tumor, targeting it precisely and allowing much higher drug dosages as they reduce side effects to a minimum. Two recent studies featured in the latest issue of the journal Nature Materials specifically address these issues and give us promising leads in the fight against cancer. Read More

Glass casting meets the digital age: 3-D glass printing method developed

By Dario Borghino

17:25 September 28, 2009 PDT

A team of engineers and artists at the University of Washington's Solheim Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory has revived an ancient Egyptian glass casting method and developed "Vitraglyphic," a technique to manufacture glass objects from fine glass powder using computer-aided design and a 3-D printer, paving the way for a significantly faster and cheaper method for artists, architects and designers to build high-precision prototypes. Read More

Lotus leaf inspires dust-busting shield for space gear

By Paul Lester

16:56 September 27, 2009 PDT

Finding inspiration from nature in order to refine and advance modern technologies is nothing new; Mercedes’ bionic car was an interesting example and we’ve also seen a new ‘smart fabric’ based on the design of pine cones. Perhaps one of the most inspiring species, certainly in the plant world, is the lotus, which has already contributed to the development of fog-free windscreens and other surfaces along with improving the efficiency of solar cells. Now NASA is looking to the Lotus Leaf to develop a non-stick surface for use on spaceflight equipment. Read More

Graffiti-proofing our history

By Jeff Salton

01:09 September 14, 2009 PDT

Graffiti is not only ugly, it costs society millions of dollars to remove it. But graffiti on historic landmarks is worse because it often can't be removed using basic caustic solutions without damage to the underlying surface. Now a new, breathable coating could help preserve some of our most beautiful and priceless links to the past by providing them with an efficient, all-round protection against attacks by taggers. Read More

Algae used to create a quick-charge, lightweight battery

By Dario Borghino

16:21 September 13, 2009 PDT

Algae blooms are unpleasant and unpredictable phenomena that arise quickly and strike seas and oceans, often causing serious problems to local ecosystems. But, in an effort to try and find a use for such algae, a research team from Uppsala University, Sweden, has recently managed to design a record-breaking "green" lightweight battery that is incredibly easy to produce and might just even out the environmental consequences of these blooms. Read More

Tests on reducing glare and fingerprints from touch screen devices

By Jeff Salton

23:04 August 27, 2009 PDT

Big touch screens, like those used on smart phones and portable media devices, are great … unless the sun is out. Then the glare can be a killer, rendering some devices next to useless. Scientists have developed a test for analyzing reflection-resistant coatings to make using touch screen devices easier. The research also includes defining a better smudge-resistant coating to deter ugly fingerprints and scratches from screens and surfaces. Read More

Self-healing paint is just the beginning

By Darren Quick

06:04 August 6, 2009 PDT

Human skin has an amazing capacity to heal itself from scratches and cuts, so it’s not surprising that scientists are looking at transferring the self-healing properties of skin to industrial materials. Efforts to embed tiny liquid-filled capsules that rupture when a scratch occurs to spill healing agents into the damaged area of electroplated coatings have previously been hampered by the size of these capsules. But now researchers have developed a process for producing electroplated layers with nano-capsules that measure only a few hundred nanometers in diameter that could solve the problem. Read More

First-ever flexible ceramic heat shield material

By Darren Quick

20:48 July 16, 2009 PDT

Take note of the name ZircoFlex, because it will most likely, in our not-so-humble opinion, immediately become part of the lexicon and bag of tricks of every automotive, marine, aerospace and industrial manufacturer, fabricator, constructor, inventor and race engineer on the planet. We've previously written about Zircotec’s plasma sprayed ThermoHold coatings, which when applied to the surface of metallic and composite components can reduce surface temperatures by up to 33 percent. Until now, the process has had two major limitations being the need to treat parts directly using 14000ºK plasma sprays and the natural brittleness of ceramic coatings which has limited their use up to rigid substrates. Patent-pending ZircoFlex™ is a flexible ceramic heat shield material that will be available in a roll, offering a low-cost, easy-to-apply solution to the thermal protection of vital engine components. The product is set to revolutionise the use of ceramic materials for heat protection in a wide range of applications. Read More

Coating technique helps bionic implants fit right in

By Darren Quick

18:12 July 5, 2009 PDT

Six million dollars probably wouldn’t get you much of a bionic man these days, but a new process for coating metal implants could vastly improve the lives of the growing number of people who have undergone complicated total joint replacement surgeries. The new electrochemical process improves the implants’ functionality, longevity and integration into the body by producing a coating that is virtually indistinguishable from the body’s own material. Read More

New fire-proof coating could take the heat off building products

By Michael Mulcahy

04:19 June 26, 2009 PDT

Even when lives aren’t lost, the property destruction wrought by fires can be heartbreaking. The coatings used in most buildings don’t help, tending to break down at relatively low temperatures and often producing toxic fumes or smoke. To tackle this issue, Australian researchers have come up with a new coating material that can be cheaply produced, applied as easily as paint, and yet withstands temperatures of up to 1830°F (1000°C). Read More

New HEMPASIL X3 marine paint reduces fuel consumption

By David Greig

18:21 March 31, 2009 PDT

With vast numbers of ships traveling the world’s oceans daily and consuming large quantities of fossil fuels, it is not surprising that fleet owners would be focused on ways to reduce their fuel bills and carbon footprint. We've touched on the problem of higher fuel costs associated with ineffective marine paint in the past and it's these costs that the new HEMPASIL X3 package aims to address. Read More

3D coating promises greater solar cell efficiency

By Darren Quick

22:05 March 25, 2009 PDT

Solar power from photovoltaic cells are widely recognized as an integral part of a clean green future, and any development that can make these cells more efficient, no matter how small, assists in making this future a reality. A team of researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a surface treatment that boosts the light absorption of silicon photovoltaic cells by trapping light in three-dimensional structures and by making the surfaces self cleaning. Read More

Watchdog windows: motion sensitive glass could boost home security

By Darren Quick

22:57 March 18, 2009 PDT

Besides letting in light and providing pleasant views, windows unfortunately also provide a convenient entrance for burglars. Security systems have long employed contacts that, when broken, activate an alarm, but what if the simple act of moving around outside a window were enough to raise the alert. That’s the concept behind a system developed by scientists in Berlin that sensitizes windows and doors to detect suspicious movements. Read More

Self-healing car paint uses sunlight to repair scrapes

By David Greig

00:26 March 18, 2009 PDT

I can imagine how a lobster might scratch a car, but who would ever have thought of using one to repair a scratch in your paint? Scientists have recently developed a polyurethane coating that heals its own scratches when exposed to sunlight. Read More

Heat resistant exhaust coating helping vehicle manufacturers meet Euro 5 emissions standards

By Loz Blain

June 4, 2007 We've spoken previously about the amazing heatproofing properties of Zircotec's ceramic thermal coating. Extremely heat resistant, the coating has been put to use by several Formula One teams to move heat out of the engine bays of their race cars. Now it seems this highly effective spray-on coating could have a part to play in emissions reduction and assisting engine manufacturers in meeting the strict Euro 5 emissions standards while contributing to power increases. Read More