The Revolutionary Spray On Glass

Society has searched for new and more effective ways of providing a clean environment. For many years it has been to the expense of humanity’s health and the environments demise. Chemicals are no longer an acceptable method and thus opens up room for new possibilities. That opportunity was embraced by a European company and the product called Sprayon Glass was born.

Sprayon Glass is a type of liquid glass and was built off a type of nanotechnology which emerged from Institute for New Materials in Saarbruken. The actual glass itself was invented in Turkey and later patented by the family based German company Nanopool. It is comprised almost completely of Silicon Dioxide, a chemical derived from quartz dust, the most plentiful of materials in the world. It has been tested throughout Germany, Turkey and Britain in various locations such as a German branch of a burger chain, an international chain of Luxury Hotels, a train company in Britain and various monuments in Britain and Turkey.

Once sprayed onto an object or surface, it is only 100 nanometers thick, that’s about 500 times thinner than human hair. It is nontoxic, highly flexible and resistant to acid, heat and UV radiation. It is strong enough to defend against bacteria and damaging mildew and fungus yet gentle enough to be used around food and in the human body. According to Nanopool “It is quite inert and has no known harmful impact on the environment, unlike many of the domestic and industrial cleaning products its use could help to reduce.” Because of Sprayon Glass’s nature it is able to be cleaned with plain hot water. Tests conducted show that treated surfaces are just as sterile and clean as those untreated surfaces cleaned with a strong bleach solution. The glass lasts for quite a while, between a year and several years depending on how often the items are used.

The glass is able to be mixed with water or ethanol depending on the intended type of surface to be used on. It is nontoxic and undetectable making it feasible for use in a variety of environments. It has the ability to bind to the material it is sprayed on by using a powerful electrostatic force which repels on the outer surface. This creates a sterile, nonstick, antibacterial surface which repels dirt, bacteria, fungus, mildew and other microbes. According to Mr. McClelland, “Items such as stints can be coated, and this will create anti sticking features – catheters , and sutures which are a source of infection, will also cease to be problematic.” Because of these traits, sprayon glass can be used in the medical field and yet is strong enough to be used around monuments such as Ataturk Mausoleum and the fifteenth century Ilyas Bey Mosque in Turkey. “The surfaces are still water-repellent and there are no colour changes to the materials,” Professor Bekir Eskici of the Mosque project said.

“Very soon almost every product you purchase will be protected with a highly durable, easy-to-clean coating … the concept of spray-on glass is mind boggling,” says Neil McClelland, Nanopool’s UK project manager. This however can be rather unfortunate as it will make most of the cleaning products on the market obsolete and drive down sales or even close out many companies. This will in turn take much of the profits of the Supermarkets which sale these products. “Many UK supermarkets are unwilling to stock the technology as many of the other cleaning products which they sell will become redundant. This is also the case with some major cleaning companies who are scared of having to clean less frequently and to change from using cleaning chemicals to using water in most instances,” Mr. McClelland states.

It has been tested on other areas besides just domestic and medical surfaces. Vineyard owners and winemakers have been rather excited about this new product as well. Because of it being so environmentally friendly and nontoxic it has been tested on the vineyard crops. It has been found to be effective against a common fungus which destroys the plants. When it was sprayed onto the seeds of the grape plants it was found those seeds germinate and grow faster than those not treated. This in turn makes for an enjoyable harvest and benefit to the farmers. Winemakers also have found a similar effect. Using the spray on glass has been effective in preventing “corking”. It was also found to be repellent to termites when sprayed onto wood. It is thought that it makes the wood look like a solid barrier to the termites instead of wood.

Nanopool’s Sprayon Glass is currently available in Germany for domestic usage and will be available on a full retail scale in the United Kingdom sometime early 2010. Its projected price should be about £5 GBP or $8 USD.