Use of nanomaterials in coatings

Automobiles, planes, ships, machinery, facades and the interior of buildings, furniture, household appliances, magazines, posters and data storage devices: The list of products covered with lacquers and paints is sheer endless. In 2012 about 2.6 million tons of lacquer, paint and printing ink were produced in Germany (VdL 2013). This shows how important these products are in our daily lives. Surfaces are coated with lacquer or paint to protect them against mechanical, chemical and weather-related impacts but also to improve their aesthetic appearance. To meet the ever-growing demands on modern coatings, the paint industry continuously strives to improve their products. Therefore, over the past years nanotechnology has become more and more important in the development of coatings. The German Paint and Printing Ink Industry Association (VdL) assumes that within the next 10 years in Germany about 20 % of the turnover of the branch will come from the use of nanotechnology, in the form of so-called „smart coatings2“ (VdL 2010).