What substrate or application scenario will see the biggest rise in use of  functional coatings over the next few years and why?

A very big application for functional coatings will be the possibilitiy to improve heat management. Especially in Europe, energy prices are rising so a more efficient heating or cooling of the building will have a much better pay back time with the modern developments.

Next to that, everything related to energy storage and energy generation will also grow. In that respect the different coatings for batteries (for instance thermal conductive, radiation shielding, fire and dielectric protection and specific metal protection) will grow in use. Also, for wind and water turbines, specific coatings with additional functional protection are needed. An interesting and newer application will be in micro energy harvesting (especially to power the smaller Internet-of-Things equipment) and sensoring application (for instance for temperature or water). All this equipment needs proper self-cleaning, anti-scratch, specific translucency and preferably self-healing.

All in all, there is enough to do for the coatings industry to create new and effective functional coatings to enhance the transitions which we are facing: energy, materials use and feedstocks.

There seems to be increased research activity in this area. What do you see as possible reasons?

When you compare the current trends to the situation forty years ago, paint was only intended to protect and beautify an object, but nowadays customers expect additional benefits from coatings. We can see that new innovations are being developed because of an increased attention to all aspects of sustainability, but also health and well-being. In addition, there’s the fact that some innovations are just done because new or improved technologies become available.

Coatings functionalities that improve carbon footprint are in notably higher demand. Ship hull coatings that prevent fouling from marine organism and reduce drag are well-known. Coatings with good ice release offer efficiency benefits for wind turbines and airplanes. Coatings that improve heat management of buildings and vehicles – either energy harvesting or smart cooling – can improve the Carbon Footprint and costs for owners.

More weather resistant, self-healing and self-cleaning coatings extend the functional or aesthetic lifetime of coatings, thereby improving their environmental footprint. Finally, for the energy transition for instance, heat dissipation and radiation shielding are pivotal for modern batteries.

Safety and well-being is another popular trend. Fire resistance and fire retardancy is demanded more and more. Formaldehyde-scavenging coatings are already commercialised, and elimination of other smelly and/or harmful molecules, and sound attenuation are rapidly growing. For anti-bacterial, anti-viral and even anti-mosquito paint several new technologies have been launched. And just to make our modern equipment work easier for instance, anti-fingerprint; anti-fog and soft feel are still improving in efficacy.

Reading tip for Functional Coatings

EC Tech Report Functional Coatings: Dive into this new multimedia EC Tech Report and learn more about super-hydrophobic finishes that offer special easy-to-clean effects in clouding an antimicrobial effect; multifunctional additives that regulate several paint properties at once, and further recent key innovations that have occurred in functional coatings.