The aim of the NANOCOLOR project was to develop transparent colored coatings for glass and metal surfaces.
To date, colored substrates are available, but no technology combines colors with transparency and no existing technology allows a wide range of colors through the flexibility of a soft chemistry for applications on large surfaces. The combination of sol-gel technology with nanotechnology allows the development of a wide range of substrates, transparent and rich in colors.
Actually, the sol-gel technique allows the synthesis of new materials by combining the characteristics of organic polymers and inorganic materials. Additionally, nanotechnology is revolutionizing the industrial world and creating new interesting opportunities for coatings. A new class of sol-gel coatings thus becomes accessible by incorporating nanoparticle pigments into optimized hybrid sol-gel coatings. The benefits of these combined technologies are numerous, both in terms of applications and technical industrialization. For example, the large degree of freedom in functionalization of coatings offered by nanotechnology, incites designers and engineers to develop tailor made surface properties by adapting nanoparticles and/or the sol-gel matrix.
After the 18 months of NANOCOLOR project, IONICS succeeded in developing a new hybrid sol-gel matrix, able to withstand to high temperature (temper process of float glass at 650 °C).
It was also demonstrated that this new sol-gel coating could easily be colored with inorganic nanoparticles.
Project Partners:
AGC Flat Glass, ArcelorMittal, Materia Nova, IONICS
The project was co-financed by the Walloon Research Administration, DGO6 and the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union.
