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Tag Archive for: glass coating

New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

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New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

Researchers at Berkeley National Labs are working to develop a paint-on coating that reflects heat. If successful, the coating could be added to existing windows for about one-tenth the cost of conventional heat-reflective glazes. The researchers even speculate that the coating could be applied by homeowners as a do-it-yourself project.

The coating will be designed to selectively reflect infrared light waves without significantly reducing visible light. Like many energy-efficient coatings, the Berkeley coating will also be designed primarily for use in southern and western climates. These buildings tend to use a significant amount of electricity for air conditioning.

The goal of the development is to create an inexpensive, easy-to-use coating. If they succeed, the coating could reduce energy consumption by as much as 35 billion KWh and 24 billion pounds of CO2 emissions annually. The team’s goal is to create a coating that could be applied for about $1.50 per square foot.

To create the coating, the team will work with a type of polymer known as a “bottlebrush” polymer. The unique shape of the polymer – a rigid spine with bristles that extend from the sides – could help reflect infrared light, while allowing visible light to pass unimpeded.

The work is being funded by the US Department of Energy, and will allow the team to develop, refine and test the coating. Another element of the project is to determine how best to scale production, maximize the coating’s efficiency and distribute the finished product.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Myxi, via Flickr.com

New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

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New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

Researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) in Singapore have developed a new glass coating that rejects infrared light, but transmits visible light. Infrared light waves generate heat and can cause buildings to consume more energy. According to the researchers, the coating will be of most use in equatorial countries, which receive the greatest amount of full-spectrum light exposure.

The coating blocks most infrared light waves, which means that it could virtually eliminate solar heat gain on coated windows. That would translate into a significant reduction in energy consumption, which is the largest operating cost associated with buildings in areas that are close to the equator.

The coating consists of tin-oxide particles that are doped with small amounts of antimony. The scientists varied the concentration of antimony throughout the coating to optimize infrared rejection. Currently, the experimental formulation blocks about 90% of infrared light waves, while admitting 80% of visible light.

Commercial coatings that use tin-oxide and antimony are already on the market, but the ASTAR researchers used antimony particles that are about half the size of the commercially available coatings, and varied the particle concentrations to improve infrared light control.

An added benefit of this formulation is that it may be possible to add the coating to windows that are already installed. The ability to add the coating as an after-market process could help older buildings reduce their energy costs without the expense of complete window or architectural glass replacement.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Science Activism , via Flickr.com

Glass U-values – what are they?

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Glass U-values – what are they?

Glass U-values – what are they?

The insulating ability of a material is known as its “R-value.” An R-value describes how quickly a material will lose heat. U-value looks at heat loss differently. Instead of measuring how quickly something will lose heat, the U-value measures how well a material resists losing heat. The R-value and the U-value of a material measure opposite qualities.

The quality of insulation is measured using an R-value. The higher the value, the slower a material will lose heat. The insulating quality of glass is measured with a U-value. In Europe, U-values are also applied to walls. Knowing how well something insulates, or how quickly it will lose heat helps people to understand the energy costs associated with a material.

U-values describe heat transfer – whether heat is moving into or out of a building. The lower the U-value, the better the material will resist heat transfer. For controlling energy consumption, it’s important to control heat transfer. With regard to windows, all components of the window have a U-value. That means window glass has a U-value, but so does the window frame. The glazing on the glass has its own U-value. Materials with very different U-values that are used to make a unit like a window can reduce the unit’s overall ability to stop the transfer of heat. The more similar the U-value of a unit’s components, the more similar the U-value of the finished product will be. Glass has a low R-value, so by definition, it has a high U-value.

The “leakiest” part of a window is actually the window frame. Small windows end up with a high U-value (which is bad), because the frame – which is the weakest link – comprises a larger proportion of the window unit than the frame of a large window. That’s important to keep in mind. Glass isn’t a great insulator, but the window frame and the glazing actually have a bigger impact on the window’s energy efficiency.

Glass coatings can change the performance of glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is one good example. Glassprimer™ glass paint is highly UV-resistant, which means that it can block the transmission of UV light waves, which tend to cause colors to fade, and can help reduce solar heat gain by reducing the overall transmission of the full spectrum of light.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Greener Leith , via Flickr.com

Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

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Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

Glass coated hypodermic needle could ease pain

No one likes getting shots, but a newly developed glass-coated hypodermic needle could reduce the amount of pain associated with getting shots or taking blood samples. Researchers at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), working with researchers from the University of Tokushima and the University of New Mexico have developed a hypodermic needle coated with metallic glass.

The researchers say that the metallic glass coating reduces pain when the needle is inserted and also improves the performance of the needle. According to researchers, metallic glass has certain properties that reduce the friction associated with the surface of the needle. Friction between the surface of the needle and the skin or other living tissue causes resistance, which in turn causes pain. Longer and larger needles cause more pain because the larger surface generates more friction upon insertion.

Friction doesn’t just cause pain upon when the needle is being inserted. Friction is also generated when the needle is withdrawn because typical metals have a natural surface grain. Movement in any direction causes tissue to “catch” on the surface grain.

Researchers say that applying a metallic glass coating to the needle reduces friction by 2/3rds when the needle is being inserted, and reduces friction by nearly 3/4ths when the needle is being withdrawn. In some experiments, friction was reduced by 80%.

Large-bore needles are typically lubricated because lubrication is known to reduce friction, and insertion pain. Smaller gauge needles are typically not lubricated; these needles are often used in dental procedures, suturing and other medical procedures. Metallic glass coatings could also be used to reduce friction in other non-medical applications, and are of interest to manufacturing and materials sciences engineers.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Alden Chadwick , via Flickr.com

Smog-eating glass coating could freshen cities

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Smog-eating glass coating could freshen cities

Smog-eating glass coating could freshen cities

Globally, scientists are concerned with the increase in carbon in the atmosphere as the result of human activity. As they look for ways to reduce greenhouse gases, a new – and somewhat fanciful – approach to cleaning up the atmosphere is emerging. Specially coated smog-eating glass could help reduce carbon in the air around buildings in urban areas.

The notion of a smog-eating coating isn’t fanciful. It exists today. The fanciful part of this equation is the idea that the coated glass could be attached to a 3-mile-high building. Someday. If materials engineering company Arconic has its very futuristic way. Arconic recently offered up its homage to The Jetsons, envisioning what a futuristic building might include in 2062 – 100 years after The Jetsons first hit the airwaves. But could a 3-mile high building be built? What would it look like?

The tallest building in the world currently is Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It checks in at 2,717 feet – just a hair over ½ mile high. Today’s tallest buildings test the limits of current construction methods and materials, so a 3-mile tall building would require more than just a few new design ideas.

The smog-eating coating isn’t one of them, though. Arconic’s hydrophilic Eco-Clean coating exists today and has been on the market since 2011. It attracts pollutants with the help of light and water vapor. Once on the building’s surface, the offending particles are washed to the ground. A large-scale implementation may be one approach to cleaning up the urban landscape.

The company has some other ideas about how to get closer to the 3-mile tower, including multi-functional windows and 3-D printing. That’s right – the company doesn’t discount the possibility of 3-D printing a building – or at least parts of it – and buildings that generate most or all of their own energy. Their futuristic vision is based on technologies that are either available today or are in development.

One coating technology that’s available today is Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially engineered to bond permanently to glass. It can be used in interior or exterior applications, and can be tinted to match virtually any palette from any major paint manufacturer. In addition to decorative uses, the paint can be used to help control light and heat.

GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jay Peeples, via Flickr.com

Thin film eliminates condensation on glass

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Thin film eliminates condensation on glass

Thin film eliminates condensation on glass

Condensation – that thin film of water that collects on glass – causes more problems than one might think of. Condensation occurs when warmer, humid air comes in contact with a cold surface. Water in the air condenses and collects on the cold surface, causing the cold surface to “fog.” If the cold surface is a window, the window is obscured.

You can see condensation at work in the supermarket when you open the door of a refrigerated case. Warm air from outside the case rushes in and quickly fogs the glass, making it difficult to see inside the case once you close the door. Refrigerated cases have built in heaters that evaporate condensation off of the interior glass surface. Having a heater inside a refrigerator is a little counterintuitive. It’s also expensive.

By itself, refrigeration is expensive. Currently, the typical household refrigerator consumes more energy over the course of a year than any other electrical appliance. People spend more on refrigeration than they spend on heat! Commercial refrigerators are even more expensive, so adding heat to the refrigerator in order to combat condensation simply increases the cost of refrigeration.

By eliminating condensation inside the refrigerator quickly and without added heat, retailers can reduce the cost of refrigeration. What’s the secret? A super-hydrophobic thin-film acetate coating applied to the interior glass surface repels water so it drains away immediately, without the need for heaters inside the refrigerator case.

According to the manufacturer, retailers could save about $85 per year per standard refrigerator case. At that level, the film could pay for itself through reduced energy consumption in less than 2.5 years.

Coatings can allow glass to do some pretty amazing things! For example, Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered glass coating that creates a permanent bond with glass surfaces. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be tinted to match any major paint manufacturer’s paint palette. That means you can easily incorporate painted glass into any decorating scheme. Whether your project is completely interior, completely exterior or a bit of both, Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional durability, UV resistance and versatility.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Martin and Jessica O’Brien, via Flickr.com

Samsung goes for super water repellent glass

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Samsung goes for super water repellent glass

Samsung goes for super water repellent glass

Samsung Electronics has licensed some new water-repelling technology developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The technology will help Samsung’s electronic devices repel surface water easily.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) spent about three years developing the specialized coating, which repels water, dirt, oil and dust. It also reduces glare and resists both smudges and fingerprints. The coating consists of a thin film layer of porous glass that manipulates the contact angle of liquids and small solids like dust.

The coating was developed by depositing a thin glass film on top of glass, and heating it. Selective etching was then used to make a 3-dimensional surface that resembles coral under a microscope. The dimensional surface enables both the water repellence and the anti-glare properties.

The technology can be used to give other types of glass the same properties. It can be used on solar panels, windows, lenses and other applications. Although Samsung is the exclusive licensee for the technology for certain applications, the technology can still be licensed for use on solar panels and windows by other parties. The coating technology was recognized with an R & D 100 award in 2015.

Many advances in the field of glass coating are allowing glass to perform like it never has before. Nanoscale changes t the glass surface allow glass to take on characteristics not normally attributed to glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is a good example of a novel glass coating technique.

Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass surface that enables paint to adhere permanently to glass. This allows the paint to perform well even under difficult circumstances, including varying temperatures, high humidity and direct sunlight.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can also be tinted to match the paint palette of any major paint manufacturer. That allows you to incorporate Glassprimer™ glass paint seamlessly into any decorating plan.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Window glass could improve mobile signals

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Window glass could improve mobile signals

Window glass could improve mobile signals

A window glass developed by researchers at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) improves energy efficiency and readily admits mobile telephone signals. The glass, which is intended for use in passenger trains, is being installed in some train cars operated by BLS AG, a Swiss railway operator.

The high metal content of rail cars tends to frustrate cellular signals, making both phone and Internet connectivity difficult. Train windows are typically designed to help insulate the passenger compartment. Heating and cooling for the passenger compartments consume as much as one third of the energy used by a train during travel. Windows represent a significant source of energy loss. To combat this, train cars use double-pane windows coated with a very thin metallic coating. That increases the insulation and reduces energy losses.

The metallic coating on the window glass significantly diminishes a mobile device’s ability to detect and connect to available cellular networks. Train companies accommodate the signal degradation by installing and maintaining boosters and on-board network services. The specially designed mobile access equipment is expensive to maintain and must be replaced regularly to keep pace with improvements in telecommunications networks.

Researchers at EPFL suspected that by modifying the metallic coating between window panes, they could reflect heat waves that would otherwise make the cars uncomfortably warm while admitting telecommunications signals. By laser-scribing the metallic coating to remove a small amount of it, the researchers were able to admit cellular signals without compromising the energy-efficiency of the windows.

Full-sized prototype windows were created and tested under operating conditions. Researchers confirmed that cellular signals were able to pass through the prototype glass as easily as they pass through ordinary glass. The glass will reduce operating costs by eliminating the need for repeater equipment on trains.

In addition, the technique could be modified to allow the coating to be frequency-selective. This could allow the coating to be used on buildings to block outside Wi-Fi signals while still admitting other kinds of services.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store

Photo Credit: Sarah Bickie, via Flickr.com

Australian Researchers Develop Glass Coating

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Australian Researchers Develop Glass Coating

Australian Researchers Develop Glass Coating

Researchers at the Australian National University have developed a new coating that allows materials like glass to be “self-cleaning.” The new coating is a combination of a polyurethane acrylic and a super hydrophobic nanoparticle solution. The combined coatings are sprayable, and are effective in low temperatures. They also resist direct abrasion, UV radiation and chemical exposure.

The notion of self-cleaning glass is attractive, and if the coating is scalable to large-form glass, it could help reduce both interior and exterior building maintenance. The fact that the coating can be spray applied is another plus. A simple application technique could support mass-production.

The coating also works on other durable surfaces, including metal, brick, masonry, wood, plastics and even paper. The nanoparticle surface causes liquids to bead, much like they would on a super-heated surface. (Minus the boiling, of course!) In addition to construction glass, the coating could be applied to airplane parts to discourage the formation of ice, or the hulls of ships to prevent corrosion. On a smaller scale, the coating could also be used to waterproof electronics and other small objects.

The technique used by the researchers can be tweaked to produce specialized coatings that resist corrosion or abrasion. Other formulations may result in coatings that offer self-cleaning properties or resistance to oil. The newly developed coating is very strong, which means that coating can be used in hostile environments. It is also UV resistant, so it won’t break down when it is exposed to sunlight.

If you’re looking for a glass coating that’s already on the market, Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered nanoscale coating that bonds permanently with glass surfaces. The paint, once cured, will not chip, fade or peel, even in direct sunlight. Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional UV resistance, and can be used to control solar heat gain, or to create a frosted effect on glass for about $1 per square foot. It can also be tinted to match virtually any paint manufacturer’s paint palette.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our website. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: TimOve, via Flickr.com

New glass coating could improve water runoff

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New glass coating could improve water runoff

New glass coating could improve water runoff

A group of Chinese researchers has developed a new super-hydrophobic coating that can be applied to hard surfaces, including wood, glass, metal and fiber. The new coating is durable and can resist a variety of actions, including handling, scratching and brushing. Textiles coated with the material retained their original hydrophobic properties even after being abraded with sandpaper.

The coating enables “self-cleaning” on a wide variety of surfaces. In addition, the coating can survive intact even in high heat and high humidity for sustained periods of time. The nanoscale coating was tested on a number of common surfaces, including glass, copper and wood. The coating can also be applied easily in a large-scale production environment. The researchers have not indicated when or how this new coating may be commercialized, or whether additional development is required.

Coatings are taking on a new importance in materials engineering. Coatings can introduce new properties to materials cost-effectively. Glassprimer™ glass paint is a good example of this.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered glass coating that’s designed to adhere permanently to the glass surface. As a paint, Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in virtually every color available through major paint manufacturers.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can be applied to glass and a range of other non-porous surfaces and provide complete coverage for about $1 per square foot. Once cured, Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass that will not chip, fade or peel, even in harsh conditions.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is ideal for both interior and exterior work, and offers exceptional UV-resistance. That means it won’t fade, even in direct sunlight. It can also be used to control solar heat gain, and treat windows that don’t offer an aesthetically pleasing view, or where additional privacy is desired.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store
Photo Credit: alfarman , via Flickr.com