Spray-On Liquid Glass Coating

Nanopool's non-toxic Liquid Glass protects against everything from bacteria to UV radiation

The liquid coating spray, which is harmless to the environment, can be applied to virtually any surface, and has been used to guard against plant disease, protect outdoor structures, and the nose cones of planes and high-speed trains. Liquid glass could soon replace a variety of cleaning products which are harmful to the environment, leaving the world coated in an invisible, wipe-clean sheen.

The versatile spray, which forms an easy-clean coating one millionth of a millimeter thick – 500 times thinner than a human hair – can be applied to virtually any surface to protect it against water, dirt, bacteria, heat and UV radiation.

The spray forms a water-resistant layer and can be cleaned using only water. Trials by food-processing companies showed that sterile surfaces covered with a film of liquid glass were equally clean after a rinse with hot water as after their usual treatment with strong bleach.

The liquid glass spray (technically termed "SiO2 ultra-thin layering") consists of almost pure silicon dioxide (silica, the normal compound in glass) extracted from quartz sand. Water or ethanol is added, depending on the type of surface to be coated. There are no additives, and the nano-scale glass coating bonds to the surface because of the quantum forces involved. According to the manufacturers, liquid glass has a long-lasting antibacterial effect because microbes landing on the surface cannot divide or replicate easily.

The liquid glass coating is breathable, so it can be used on plants and seeds. Trials in vineyards have found spraying vines increases their resistance to fungal diseases, while other tests have shown sprayed seeds germinate and grow faster than untreated seeds, and coated wood is not attacked by termites. The spray cannot be seen by the naked eye, and could also be used to treat clothing and other materials to make them stain-resistant.

Owned by German company Nanopool, liquid glass can be produced in a solution of alcohol or water, depending on the needs of the surface.

Nanopool

Telegraph

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