The UCF-developed plasmonic paint uses nanoscale structural arrangement of colorless materials — aluminum and aluminum oxide — instead of pigments to create colors. Here the plasmonic paint is applied to the wings of metal butterflies, the insect that inspired the research.
Instead of pigment-based colored paint, which requires artificially synthesized molecules, a UCF researcher has developed an alternative way to produce colored paint that is more natural, environmentally friendly and light weight.
University of Central Florida researcher Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, has drawn inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally friendly, large-scale and multicolor alternative to pigment-based colorants, which can contribute to energy-saving efforts and help reduce global warming.
The development was published today in Science Advances as a featured article.
“The range of colors and hues in the natural world are astonishing — from colorful flowers, birds and butterflies to underwater creatures like fish and cephalopods,” Chanda says. “Structural color serves as the primary color-generating mechanism in several extremely vivid species where geometrical arrangement of typically two colorless materials produces all colors. On the other hand, with manmade pigment, new molecules are needed for every color present.”
Based on such bio-inspirations, Chanda’s research group innovated a plasmonic paint, which utilizes nanoscale structural arrangement of colorless materials — aluminum and aluminum oxide — instead of pigments to create colors.
While pigment colorants control light absorption based on the electronic property of the pigment material and hence every color needs a new molecule, structural colorants control the way light is reflected, scattered or absorbed based purely on the geometrical arrangement of nanostructures.
Such structural colors are environmentally friendly as they only use metals and oxides, unlike present pigment-based colors that use artificially synthesized molecules.
The researchers have combined their structural color flakes with a commercial binder to form long-lasting paints of all colors.
“Normal color fades because pigment loses its ability to absorb photons,” Chanda says. “Here, we’re not limited by that phenomenon. Once we paint something with structural color, it should stay for centuries.”
Additionally, because plasmonic paint reflects the entire infrared spectrum, less heat is absorbed by the paint, resulting in the underneath surface staying 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than it would if it were covered with standard commercial paint, the researcher says.
“Over 10% of total electricity in the U.S. goes toward air conditioner usage,” Chanda says. “The temperature difference plasmonic paint promises would lead to significant energy savings. Using less electricity for cooling would also cut down carbon dioxide emissions, lessening global warming.”
Plasmonic paint is also extremely lightweight, the researcher says.
This is due to the paint’s large area-to-thickness ratio, with full coloration achieved at a paint thickness of only 150 nanometers, making it the lightest paint in the world, Chanda says.
The paint is so lightweight that only about 3 pounds of plasmonic paint could cover a Boeing 747, which normally requires more than 1,000 pounds of conventional paint, he says.
Chanda says his interest in structural color stems from the vibrancy of butterflies.
“As a kid, I always wanted to build a butterfly,” he says. “Color draws my interest.”
Future Research
Chanda says the next steps of the project include further exploration of the paint’s energy-saving aspects to improve its viability as commercial paint.
“The conventional pigment paint is made in big facilities where they can make hundreds of gallons of paint,” he says. “At this moment, unless we go through the scale-up process, it is still expensive to produce at an academic lab.”
“We need to bring something different like, non-toxicity, cooling effect, ultralight weight, to the table that other conventional paints can’t.” Chanda says.
Licensing Opportunity
For more information about licensing this technology, please visit the Inorganic Paint Pigment for Vivid Plasmonic Color technology sheet.
Original Article: UCF Researcher Creates World’s First Energy-saving Paint – Inspired by Butterflies
More from: University of Central Florida
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Plasmonic paint
- Experts Answer This Age-Old Question About Paint
“Does paint dry darker or lighter?” is a common question. But, the answer to it can be a bit complex and may vary depending on a variety of factors. Typically, paint dries darker but matches ...
- The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide For How To Paint A House
A fresh coat of exterior paint can revitalize a home’s look. Regular painting is also a necessary component of every home maintenance schedule. Painting an entire house is a highly worthwhile ...
- What’s The Best Type Of Paint For Kitchens?
The best paint for your kitchen depends on your kitchen design and the surface you’re painting. For walls near the range and sink, choose a satin, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish to easily wipe ...
- The Best Paint Sprayers for Your Paint Jobs, Tested
Learn More › Want to speed up your paint job? Equip yourself with a paint sprayer! We field-tested some of the most capable, popular, and affordable paint sprayers available. Ahead, you can read ...
- Paint for Mac doesn’t exist, but here are some alternatives
Microsoft's Paint application is iconic, but while it's been a mainstay of Windows for decades, there is no direct equivalent on macOS. Fortunately, there are some built-in applications that can ...
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Plasmonic color technology
- New technology changes how proteins in individual cells are studied
Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, together with Pixelgen Technologies, have developed and applied a technique that makes it possible to map proteins in individual cells in a completely new way.
- Development of ultra-high-efficiency pure red light-emitting devices with enhanced color representation
DGIST Professor Jiwoong Yang's team in the Energy Science and Engineering Department has successfully manufactured high-performance, skin-attachable perovskite pure red light-emitting devices to ...
- Researchers develop nanotechnology for creating wafer-scale nanoparticle monolayers in seconds
Nanoscale materials present us with astonishing chemical and physical properties that help materialize applications such as single molecular sensing and minimally invasive photothermal therapy—which ...
- New mussel-inspired one-shot nanoparticle assembly technique to aid energy applications
Nanoscale technology often allows scientists to creatively develop new applications by manipulating singular atoms ...
- GIST researchers develop nanotechnology for creating wafer-scale nanoparticle monolayers in seconds
In this regard, a team of researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, led by Ph.D. student ... also allows the fabrication of wafer-level full-color reflective metasurface via ...