The present of nanotechnology reveals a promising future. Currently this market is working to make itself known in Latin America and massify its implementation.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Although it is still a technology that seeks to break through, nanotechnology is an option that is growing much more and more within the paints and coatings industry, generating new developments and becoming an additional alternative to what the evolution of the industry offers.
In our November/December 2011 edition we published an article called "Nanotechnology in paints, a reality", in which we show the characteristics and applications of this type of technology at the service of our industry.
On this occasion we consulted companies specialized in the development of technologies based on nanotechnology, to have a concept on the commercialization of this type of solutions, which allows us to analyze how this alternative evolves in the Latin American region in terms of costs and type of demanding industries.
"Punctually the paint market has grown exponentially during the current cycle, having increased its sales by 500% in only the first half of 2012. We will see at the end of the year what the impact of this product will be on the total annual turnover," said Horacio Tobías, representative of the company Nanotek.
According to Horacio, in recent years his company, based in Argentina, has registered significant growth that testifies to the acceptance of nanotechnology in industrial development. "I must say that from 2009 to date, the company has grown in its sales of nanotechnological products (of its own development and elaboration), as follows: period 2009 – 2010: 22%, 2010 – 2011: 47% and 2011 – 2012: 157%".
For his part, for Víctor Salazar, representative of the company Technocoating, the implementation of nanotechnology is already a reality, due to the growing number of sectors interested in using it for its benefits. "Nanotechnology in coatings has been to this day the most commercial area of this science. In European countries its advantages and benefits are commonly used. It has been possible to market for various surfaces with accessible and congruent costs for its purposes. Nanoparticles protect surfaces against scratches, scratches, oxidation or corrosion by giving them extreme smoothness both at home and in the automotive, construction, aeronautics, work instruments or computer science."
Industries that implement it
For Víctor Salazar, hotels, shopping centers and the automotive sector are the industries that are using this type of coatings the most, focused on maintenance work that allows them to reduce cleaning hours and costs, which makes their resources and their contribution to the care of the environment more efficient.
"Stone surfaces such as quarry facades, pool areas, marble and granite floors, concrete, windows, textiles, chrome forms, stainless steel of kitchens, and a number of surfaces can be treated with great success, protecting them from various stains such as mold, tartar, corrosion and dirt in general. Definitely, the maintenance industry in construction and cleaning occupy the first place in this area, "said Salazar.
Regarding the automotive sector, the guest commented that "the automotive industry ranks second, as protections have been developed for automotive paint, glass, textiles, metals, plastics and polycarbonates that are very convenient for maintenance and long-lasting protection in cars. In Mexico, some automotive houses are already applying it within their maintenance options."
Horacio Tobías details by sector, from the experience of the company he represents, how the nanotechnology market behaves in the main industries and their applications.
- Oil companies, mining companies, power generators and environmental treatment/operator companies that do not meet the governmental/legal requirements to achieve the overturning or final disposal values; they use nanotechnology as an efficient alternative that allows them to meet the required objectives.
- Antimicrobial paints: health centers, private practices, laboratories and food industry seek this solution as a response to the problem of intrahospital infections, and thus increase the levels of biosecurity and occupational health in laboratories of biological analysis, pathogenic etc., and the levels of asepsis required in the food industry (underpinned by compliance with international standards where the most prominent are companies multinational food).
- Antifouling paints: although it is in the pilot testing stage, the requirement came from the industry dedicated to the breeding of salmon in open waters, trying to extend the maintenance plans of the submerged facilities, lowering operating costs and protecting the investment.
Construction: road construction companies seek to obtain soil-cement or soil-lime roads stabilized for prolonged periods, with very low construction and maintenance costs that avoid the formation of mud on rainy days and the emission of dust in suspension in dry weather, offering a passable road for 365 days and increasing operational and road safety standards.
Costs = performance
It is inevitable to talk about costs when a new development appears that enters to compete directly with value and performance against conventional technologies. Experts say that although the cost differences between the two options have been balanced a bit, even the new applications with nanotechnology are a little more expensive, however, they emphasize that the price is equitable to the performance that this alternative offers.
The representative of Technocoating comments in this regard that "in terms of costs are balanced, because although apparently the prices of products with Nanotechnology are higher, they have an advantage very much in their favor: the performance of the product. The application of this type of coatings is imperceptible to the human eye or to the touch, they do not leave a visible layer or membrane since we are talking about an average thickness of 6 μn nanometers. A nanometer is one-millionth of a millimeter. This is where this benefit comes into play resulting in a low cost per square meter of application thanks to its superior performance."
Horacio has a very similar point of view to the previous one, since for him, the benefits of nanotechnology justify the costs. "We should not fall into the simplicity of comparing costs of conventional products with nanotechnological products, since the incorporation of these provides products with new functionalized benefits that conventional products do not provide, therefore they are not functionally or operationally the same. The case of antimicrobial, self-propelling or fire retardant paints are a good example. Conventional paints offer square meters of aesthetic coating, while ditados coatings not only cover the aesthetic need, but also offer square meters of solutions in the health, safety and comfort aspect of users, and that added value creates an economic difference. "
Conservative Latin America?
Finally, both guests agree that one of the main adversities of the solutions developed with nanotechnology is the lack of knowledge and dissemination in Latin America, a region that culturally has been more conservative and that it costs much more to adapt to the new alternatives offered by the industry.
"The disadvantages of nanotechnological coatings is the lack of knowledge in the field, although in Europe they have already been used for a decade, in Latin America the use of these is just beginning and Latin cultures are a little more conservative in the use and custom of traditional methods; it is more difficult for us to open ourselves to changes and to venture into new ways of proceeding. Not to mention, we like to have immediate results as we are a bit impatient to expect long- or medium-term results," said the Technocoating representative.
Likewise, the representative of Nanotek believes that the industry should work harder to disseminate this kind of alternatives and that the issues to be resolved are the following:
- Communication-diffusion: nanotechnology is a very new industry, therefore society has not yet assimilated or incorporated its concept, this makes my proverb initially fulfilled: "Society that does not know, does not demand". I think there is a lot more to grow in this.
- Industrialization: although companies invest to grow in this aspect, it is also true that much is still in a state of pre-industrialization, according to the return of funds produced by sales, which will generate genuine income and allow reinvestment to scale and improve processes, lowering costs and multiplying production.
To highlight
Benefits of nanotechnology
Víctor Salazar, representative of Technocoating, explained some of the characteristics of nanotechnology in the coatings market:
- The benefits of coated surfaces are very broad, but the main function of coatings with nanotechnology is to cause an easy cleaning effect by coating the applied surfaces giving them hydrophobic properties that help repel substances such as tartar, mold and dirt in general, which translates as an economic benefit in savings of up to 80% in both labor and cleaning products in addition to contributing ecologically to the improvement of our environment by reducing the use of water and the use of cleaners that could be aggressive or polluting.
- There are also different types of coatings with nanotechnology such as anti-bacteria, anti-graffiti, self-cleaning photocatalytics, dielectrics, etc. The potential of these coatings is growing exponentially like any evolutionary technology that has found very useful, practical and beneficial uses, focused on the new ecological awareness that has been developed in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, among others, where this technology is already studied and work is being done on laboratory infrastructure and resources for it.
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