International. Lux Research conducted research to determine that while coatings provide protection and other static functions, a new generation of technologies is making them "smart" – capable of changing based on their environment. There is significant potential for this capability to impact industries from military and aerospace to medicine.
"Smart coatings are coming and will pave the way for more dynamic and higher-performing products," said Anthony Schiavo, report leader at Lux Research. "However, many of these innovations are still in the laboratory phase and face technical and development challenges before they can have an impact on the market."
The company evaluated the technical and market potential of functional and intelligent coating technologies and developers. Among his findings:
- Partnerships, scales are the key to hydrophobic coatings. The clear emerging winners in the hydrophobic coatings space are distinguished not by performance metrics, but by their ability to form alliances and technologies at scale.
- Self-curing coatings are still slow. These have suffered from slow growth but market demand and patenting activity indicate a future for this technology. Key products in the market include Nissan Motor's vehicle self-healing paint and a self-healing coating from LG Electronics for its G Flex 2 smartphone.
