Pollutant-absorbing paint
Ecopaint is a paint that soaks up some of the most noxious gases from vehicle exhausts. The paint is designed to reduce levels of the nitrogen oxides, collectively known as the NOx gases, which cause respiratory problems and trigger smog production.
Patents filed last week show how the novel coating works. The paint’s base is polysiloxane, a silicon-based polymer. Embedded in it are spherical nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate 30 nanometres wide. Because the particles are so small, the paint is clear, but pigment can be added.
The polysiloxane base is porous enough to allow NOx to diffuse through it and adhere to the titanium dioxide particles. The particles absorb ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and use this energy to convert NOx to nitric acid.
The acid is then either washed away in rain or neutralized by the alkaline calcium carbonate particles, producing harmless quantities of carbon dioxide, water, and calcium nitrate, which will also wash away.
Source: Jenny Hogan, “Smog-busting paint soaks up noxious gases,” NewScientist.com
Contact: Picada Project.
