Liquid Glass A Revolution - 02/16/10 11:44 PM
I think, 'Liquid Glass' is going to revolutionise our lives
with its sci-fi like properties. But read on.
Its a spray-on 'liquid glass' that is non-toxic, and can be sprayed onto any surface to protect it from dirt, germs and bacteria.
From bandages in Hospitals, to ancient stone monuments, cars, expensive fabrics, or seeds.
In fact it can be sprayed on anything to protect it, and its invisible.
So an invisible protection against all Germs and dirt,
just how does this miracle work?
Well the secret of this Liquid Glass is that it forms an ultra-thin film between 15 and 30 molecules thick – about 500 times thinner than human hair. On this nanoscale – a few millionths of a millimetre thick – liquid glass turns into a highly flexible invisible barrier that repels water, dirt and bacteria, yet is resistant to heat, acids and UV radiation but remains "breathable".
Yes, this liquid glass is born out of Nanotechnology, and is composed of pure nano-particles of Silicon Dioxide, the chemical constitute of quartz or silica.
Its the most abundant mineral in our Earth, its totally inert, with no known harmfull effects upon the enviroment.
It works because when sprayed, the nano-particles cling together and form an ultra-thin film, that generates strong electrostatic forces that bind it to the material in question, yet repels water, dirt and germs from the opposing, exposed surface. So when bacteria or other microbes land on the glass surface they are not killed, but they cannot divide and replicate easily.
No binders or no glues, the glassy film forms and sticks to everything using quantum forces, just like the Geckoes feet.
Impressed? I certainly am, and there is more.
A family-owned German company called Nanopool holds patent rights on the technology behind the liquid glass, which emerged from research at the Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken.
Nanopool has been talking to British firms and the NHS re using the product for a diverse range of applications from coating designer handbags, to spraying the nose cones of high-speed trains.
Mr Neil McClelland, Nanopool's UK project manager, has discovered that many Cleaning Companys, and UK Supermarkets are unwilling to stock the technology as they are scared that the existing products they sell will become redundant.
Britain's war graves organisation, Alrewas, is in discussions with Nanopool about treating its stone monuments and Turkish scientists are conducting tests of liquid glass on important national monuments in Turkey, such as the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara and the 15th Century Ilyas Bey Mosque in Miletus.
Sascha Schwindt, the German managing director of Nanopool said that tests have also shown that seeds sprayed with the liquid glass are not just protected against fungal attacks, but germinate and grow faster than untreated seeds. "We think it's because the energy of the seeds is used for development and growth rather than defence against bacteria and fungi in the soil," he said. The agricultural aspects of the liquid glass came out of tests showing that treated wood is resistant to termite attack. Wood sprayed with the liquid glass survived undamaged after being buried in a termite mound for nine months.