technologies are not enough. Developing new surfactants, leveling agents, etc. will not meet the challenge either. To change
the way customers perceive coatings, the additives will need
to provide additional dimensions. These novel coatings must
not only provide protection and aesthetics, but perform a
needed function that helps solve a problem more efficiently
and effectively than previously possible. And it must do so in
an environmentally benign manner.
What is needed is a significant innovation shift, or step-change, that will create an entire new role for coatings to play
in a whole array of end-use markets. The innovation must be
easily adopted and implemented without the necessity for
large capital or resource investments.
A successful reinvention of the paint and coatings industry
must clearly demonstrate significant value added to the point
that consumer demand will quickly turn the industry “push”
into a market-driven “pull.” Ideally, this market-driven demand
will soften the natural reluctance of consumers to recoat surfaces and create the desire to repaint with novel coatings. It is
important to keep in mind that the creation of increased profit
margins in combination with greater sales volumes are key
objectives of paint and coatings formulators. Therefore, charging higher prices for added value and stimulating the consumer
to recoat more frequently in order to access increased or novel
functionality are the two main pillars of a well-planned strategy for achieving de-commoditization of the industry.2
NOVEL BIOENGINEERED FUNCTIONAL
ADDITIVES TO THE RESCUE
Where can such specialty additives be found? Surprisingly, the
answer is in nature. One example of where to “mine” such additives is from natural biofilms that form on almost all surfaces
that can support life (see image above). The organisms creating
these natural coatings bring a wide array of functionalities to
the surface. It is also certainly the case that living organisms
have been coating their own exteriors for time immemorial,
and the functional molecules they have evolved for this purpose can be tapped for additives in non-living surfaces.
Carefully designed biologically active compounds with tai-
Photo: Reactive Surfaces
Brilliantly-colored red-orange lichen biofilms on Arctic frozen
rocks, Devon Island, Nunavut Territory, Canada.
lored functionality in fact meet all of the criteria for a technology paradigm shift. Enzymes, peptides, receptors, antibodies and
other biological actives are non-persistent, non-bio-accumulat-ing and almost always non-toxic, resoundingly meeting the definition of a “green” approach. These natural materials can be
engineered to be readily incorporated into traditional coating
formulations, thus no special equipment is required either for
the manufacture or application of paints that contain them. In
addition, bioengineered additives do not affect the ability of
coatings to protect and beautify surfaces; they simply expand
the performance of coatings into a new realm of functionality.
There is a vast number of different types of naturally occurring biomolecules that can be manipulated, providing
researchers with an almost limitless potential for creating
coatings that possess practically any functionality desirable. As
our understanding of the capabilities of this technology grows,
the industry will be able to create a whole host of innovative,
bioengineered “smart” additives for functional coatings. When
the coating innovator decides she wants a new functionality,
chances are the bioengineers can “dial in” the natural resource,
modify it as necessary and deliver it formulation-ready.
The opportunities really are endless. For instance, biomolecules can be used to create a self-cleaning coating reduce the
amount of cleaning chemicals and work effort required to
Photo 1: ProteCoat in action under photomicroscopy and in exterior tests
The first two images show photomicroscopy using fluorescent light to view fungal spores and vegetative cells. Untreated cells in a
solution containing a dye that fluoresces green—Sytox Green—if the cell membrane is ruptured (left panel), versus cells fluorescing
green after being immediately ruptured in presence of small amounts of ProteCoat (middle panel). The rightmost image shows results
in exterior tests during an 18-month comparison of fence panels conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi. The right portion
of the cedar fence panel painted in Navy Haze Gray containes ProteCoat while the left portion does not.
Photos: Reactive Surfaces
