Automotive nanocoatings

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Nanomaterials incorporated into hybrid automotive nanocoatings have been widely adopted in the automotive industry. Nanocoating allows for new coloration effects and greater hardness and durability, self-healing, self-cleaning, thermal barrier, conductivity and anti-fingerprint properties.

Surface protection is a key area in the luxury car market both for protection from UV, wear, heat; promotion of adhesion; and reduction of engine friction. The overall world automotive paints and coatings market was estimated to be $7.75billion in 2010 and nanomaterials will play a key role in future growth.

Many automotive parts have a protective coating applied to improve the appearance or provide additional durability to the substrate which can be enhanced by the incorporation of nanomaterials. Coatings containing nanoscale carbides, nitrides, metals or ceramics play a key role in the performance of internal mechanical components of a vehicle, such as the engine. Desirable functional properties for the automotive coatings industry afforded by nanomaterials include:

• Scratch resistance (alumina and silica nanoparticles)

• Anti-fingerprint

• Self-cleaning (Nano-Tio2, nanosilica)

• Chemical resistance

• UV resistance (zinc oxide, cerium oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide nanoparticles)

• Abrasion resistance (silica and aluminium oxide nanoparticles).

By reducing wear and friction, nanostructured coatings increase the lifetime of the working material at the same time that they reduce the dissipation of energy as heat, thus increasing the efficiency of the vehicle. Nanocomposite coatings offer improved solvent, fuel and gas barriers, and have heightened flame resistance, stiffness, and other mechanical properties. These coatings can increase tool productivity (longer tool life, higher cycle frequencies, less work piece finishing), reduce manufacturing costs, improve the quality of products (due to smoother surfaces, better dimensional stability, higher degrees of metal deformation and fewer manufacturing steps) and reduce lubricant consumption.

Current applications in the automotive industry are for oxide scale protection and easy to clean coatings for automotive glass. Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota and Subaru all utilise nanomaterials in these areas. Mercedes-Benz have introduced ceramic scratch-resistant nanocoatings to automobiles. These nanoparticle clearcoats display significantly greater scratch resistance and enhanced paint gloss compared to vehicles with conventional paintwork.

Consumers desire a permanent, scratch-free finish on all parts of automobiles, and scratch performance is the highest rated customer concern for automotive paint systems and displays. Nanocoatings provide protection against scratches caused by mechanical car-washes, for example ensure visibly enhanced gloss over an extended period of time. Aluminium oxide nanocomposite scratch resistance coatings have been applied as automotive finishes. When the additives are blended into resins and coatings at very low 1.5 to 6 percent concentrations, scratch resistance increases dramatically. Bayer and Nissan (Scratch Guard Coat) have produced self-healing coatings and nanoparticles additives are improving the improve the scratch/mar resistance of clearcoats. Alumina and silica nanoparticles increase the surface hardness and resistance to indentation. Altana’s NANOBYK® (www.byk.com/en/additives/additives-by-name/nanobyk.php) additives are utilized in scratch-resistant coating  applications in automotive refinish. Nanophase (www.nanophase.com) produces NanoArc® Aluminium Oxide for surface coatings and films to provide long-term scratch resistance without significantly impacting optical clarity, gloss, colour, or physical properties.

UV-curable, highly crosslinked polymer coating systems containing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanodomains are utilized in anti-fogging coatings. Surfaces coated are capable of spreading water and thus preventing fog formation on a variety of optical substrates such as automotive plastic and glass, including the headlamp covers of automobiles. Hydrophobic and oleophic glass allowing greatly improved visibility in the rain, and reduces the adherence of dirt and contaminants to a treated surface. Nanovere Technologies (www.nanocoatings.com) has developed a Wipe-On clear nanocoating, Vecdor Nano-Clear®. to restore original color, gloss and surface hardness back into oxidized textured plastics, highly oxidized fiberglass and highly oxidized paint surfaces while reducing surface maintenance by 60%. ISTN, Inc.’s (www.istninc.com) UV FOGuard™ is hydrophobic and hydrophilic coating for preventing fog formation on automotive windows.

Nanostructured coatings can significantly increase engine power thereby decreasing fuel consumption and increasing the exhaust gas temperature. They show better thermal resistance and reduced thermal conductivity compared to coarse grained coatings. Protective thermal coatings containing on CNTs have been developed which can reduce insulation weight in automotive applications. Their high thermal conductivity, damage resistance, and reported optical-absorption efficiency also make them promising candidates as coatings for thermal detectors. There is also a high demand in the automotive industry for clean surfaces presenting a perfect, hygienic optical appearance insensitive to fingerprints, especially with the increasing incorporation of touch panel displays.

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