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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • APRIL 2014 15
SURFACE ENGINEERING
news
industry
briefs
Bayer MaterialScience LLC,
Pittsburgh, participated in the
SSPC conference in Lake Buena
Vista, Fla., discussing the safe use
of polyurethane coatings, which
include isocyanates as a raw
material and are applied on
commercial and industrial
infrastructure. Safe handling
recommendations, training, and
on-site monitoring are
components of the company’s
product stewardship program.
These activities should help
contractors prepare for inspections
as well as address concerns that
may arise from OSHA’s recently
announced National Emphasis
Program (NEP) for isocyanates.
,
Boyd Coatings Research Co.
Inc., Hudson, Mass., developed
the CRC 6000-line hydrophobic
coating, primarily for use on
radomes, satellite dishes, and
other communication installations
to prevent water film from building
up and hindering signals. CRC
6000 is a solid dispersion of
fluorocarbon polymer and an
aliphatic, moisture-cure, two-part
polyurethane that creates a hard
film with superior UV-resistance
and long-term water repellency.
The coating was designed to
create a high contact angle
(140°+) for water droplets,
allowing them to roll off and leave
a perfectly dry surface.
.
Self-cleaning solar coating improves energy collection
Under the sponsorship of
the DOE’s Efficiency and Re-
newable Energy SunShot
Concentrating Solar Power
Program, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, Tenn., is develop-
ing a low-cost, transparent,
anti-soiling (self-cleaning)
coating for solar reflectors to
optimize energy efficiency
while lowering costs and
avoiding negative environ-
mental impacts. The surface
layer is based on a superhy-
drophobic coating technology
shown to effectively repel water, viscous liquids, and most solid particles. Coatings are de-
posited by conventional painting and spraying methods using a mixture of organics and
particles. In addition to being economical, these methods can be easily deployed in the
field during repairs and retrofitting.
The anti-soiling coating loses less than 0.3% of transparency over the entire solar radi-
ation wavelength range. When exposed to several hundred hours of accelerated UV radi-
ation and 100 hours of salt fog exposure, the coating exhibited no degradation in
superhydrophobic or optical transmission properties. When glass slides with the anti-soil-
ing coating were exposed to sand and dust in a custom-made wind tunnel, the particles
did not adhere to the coated surface of the slides.
Metal implants could ease chemotherapy side effects
Cancer patients could one day experience fewer side effects from chemotherapy follow-
ing a discovery that opens the door for more targeted treatments. Researchers at the Ed-
inburgh Cancer Research UK Centre at the MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular
Medicine, the University of Edinburgh, identified a possible way of treating tumors that
would see doctors place harmless metal implants at the cancer site. Scientists found that
they could alter the chemical composition of commonly used chemotherapy drugs so that
they only become active when they come into contact with palladium. They hope that by
implanting small devices coated with palladium into patients’ tumors, the drugs would be-
come activated only where they are needed, causing minimal damage to healthy tissue.
“It will be several years before we’re able to start treating patients, but we’re hopeful that
this approach will lead to better tolerated cancer therapies in the future,” explains project
leader Asier Unciti-Broceta. .
Comprehensive surface finishing guide debuts
The National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF), Washington, announced
the release of a much-anticipated resource for the surface coatings industry: Ad-
vanced Surface Technology, a comprehensive reference for a wide range of coating
and finishing applications. The publication is both a practical guide for any profes-
sional or operator in the coatings industry, as well as a core text for teaching engi-
neers and scientists at all levels in the field of surface technology. The two-volume
hardcover set is authored by Per Moller and Lars Pleth Nielsen and contains the
most current information in a reader-friendly format. In addition, it is filled with
numerous easy-to-understand illustrations, charts, and descriptive graphics and
should serve as an inclusive and handy tool for finishers, suppliers, and the OEM
community, according to NASF sources. .
Solar power reflectors collect dust and sand, reducing their
energy efficiency—a challenge ORNL researchers are
tackling by developing a low-cost, anti-soiling coating.
The Material Works Ltd. (TMW), Red Bud, Ill.,
announced that after reviewing the results of a
battery of paint performance and welding tests,
General Motors and Chrysler approved its strip
steel processed by eco pickled surface (EPS)
technology as a replacement for acid pickled
steel. The process removes the layer of oxide (mill
scale) from the surface of hot rolled steel, impart-
ing a clean and uniform surface. The process
uses no hazardous substances to accomplish its
pickling and leaves the steel inherently rust-re-
sistant, so it does not require the oil film that is
applied to acid pickled steel to prevent rusting.
.