Surrey NanoSystems has demonstrated a new product, Vantablack 2.0, a spray-on coating that can trap more than 99.8 percent of incident light. The company says the material is so dark that if you aimed a laser pointer at it, you couldn’t even see the dot. The company originally created the coating for aerospace applications such as satellites. “The original Vantablack coating marked a major milestone, and is fundamental to many companies developing higher-performance equipment,” said Ben Jensen of Surrey NanoSystems. “We continue to develop the technology, and the new sprayable version opens-up a whole new range of applications. This is significantly less reflective than, for example, the super-black paint used for managing stray-light in the Hubble Space Telescope.”
TriboTEX has come up with a solution which not only reduces friction in transportation– it repairs the damage and reverses engine wear. The innovation is based on adding synthetic anisotropic nanoparticles to lubricating oils to create a self-forming thick protective coating for engine’s internal components. Nanoparticles are flat and have two functionally different sides: Sticky to attach to the surface and reinforce it, and slippery to reduce friction. Their application results in 10 times reduction in friction, increased fuel efficiency, horsepower, lower maintenance costs, reduced engine noise and ultimately – increases the vehicle’s lifespan.
“We’ve designed TriboTEX as a clean energy solution to help fight pollution while saving money on machinery repairs and replacement. Our technology is applicable to industrial equipment such as wind turbines as well as to the consumer market,” said the company’s CTO Dr. Pavlo Rudenko, Ph.D.
Talga Resources has signed a joint development agreement with Chemetall, a global business unit of BASF Coatings Division, to co-develop and commercialize graphene-enhanced metal surface coatings. Under the terms of the Agreement, Talga and Chemetall will cooperate to develop Talga value-added graphene products for use in Chemetall surface treatment products. The joint development program aims to set new industry standards for eco-friendly, high performance, corrosion resistant surface treatments.
The Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM) has developed nanocoatings that reduce the effort required for cleaning heat exchangers and preventing corrosion. The coatings combine anti-adhesive, anti-corrosive and antimicrobial properties.
Image: Anti-fouling treatment for heat-exchangers. Credit: INM.
The developers achieve the anti-adhesive characteristics by introducing hydrophobic compounds that are similar to common Teflon. These inhibit the formation of any undesired biofilm and allow residues to be transported out more easily before they clog up the channels of the heat exchangers. At the same time the researcher use structures that act as diffusion barrier in their coatings. These inhibit the sensitivity for corrosion prevoked from corrosive substances or aggressive cleaning agents. To prevent microbes, bacteria or fungus from adhering to surfaces, the scientists additionally use colloidal copper in the coating. Due to the oxygen or water that is present in many processes, copper ions are released from the copper colloids. These migrate to the surface and, as a result of their antimicrobial effect, they prevent microbes from proliferation and growth. “In addition, we can keep the paint chemically stable. Otherwise it would not withstand the aggressive chemicals that are required for cleaning,” explained Carsten Becker-Willinger, Head of Nanomers® at INM.
