Enhancing coating functionality using nanoscience and nanotechnology

Nanoscience is currently enabling evolutionary changes in several technology areas but new paradigms will eventually have a much wider and revolutionary impact. In the area of coatings, new approaches utilizing nanoscale effects can be used to create coatings with significantly optimized or enhanced properties. The ultimate impact of nanoscience and nanotechnology in the area of coatings, and other potential application areas, will depend on our ability to direct the assembly of hierarchical systems that include nanostructures. Two fundamentally different approaches to direct self-assembly are discussed. One approach involves ordering existing identifiable components into the desired coating or structures. The second approach involves the formation of new structures during the coating process. Potential impacts of nanostructure properties on film characteristics and applications are discussed with a focus on coating reactivity, corrosion resistance, strength and durability. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.