Replies to post #3802 on Quantum Materials Corp. (fka QTMM)

[FreeGrass]

One of the better ideas for Qdots IMO is pollution eating paint that will clean the air. They would need lots of cheep Qdots for this, so perfect for us...

06 February 2004

A new form of paint that can absorb some of the noxious gases from vehicle exhausts goes on sale across Europe next month. Its manufacturers hope it will give architects and town planners a new weapon in the fight against pollution, an article in New Scientist reports.

The new product, Ecopaint, is designed to absorb nitrogen oxides, one of the causes of respiratory problems and smog production. Dr Robert McIntyre, of Millenium Chemicals who developed the paint, says a typical 0.3 millimetre layer would be enough to last five years in a heavily polluted city.

Its secret lies in spherical nano-particles of titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate. These are embedded in the paints base, polysiloxane, a silicon-based polymer. The base is porous enough to allow the nitrogen oxides to diffuse through it and adhere to the titanium dioxide particles.

These particles absorb ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and use this energy to convert nitrogen oxides to nitric acid. The acid is then either washed away in rain, or neutralised by the alkaline calcium carbonate particles, producing carbon dioxide, water and calcium nitrate.

Previous attempts to use titanium dioxide to break down nitrogen oxides failed because it attacked the base material as aggressively as it did the pollutants. The polysiloxane is resistant to this, although the developers admit that they don't know why.

Due to the nano-particles being so small, the paint is clear. Pigment can be added, however, and the first paint to go on sale will be white.

Ecopaint was developed by Millennium Chemicals under a European Union funded programme - the Photcatalytic Innovative Coverings Applications for Depollution Assessment programme (PICADA). The company says their experience with another catalytic coating shows how air quality can be improved.

In 2002, 7,000 square metres of road surface were covered with catalytic cement in Milan, Italy. Residents reported that it was noticeably easier to breathe and concentrations of nitrogen oxides at street level were cut by up to 60%.

EU Member States are required to monitor nitrogen oxide levels and ensure that by 2010 they have fallen below an annual average of 21 parts per billion.

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Clothes That Clean Themselves

[puravida19]

Chess, I hope your stepdaughter comes
through this! Could you email me at
[e-mail] so I can send
you some info on cancer treatments?
I had melanoma and caught it early.

Re;Air purification. They have HEPA
filters that take out everything,
and their are Ion Generators putting
negative ions in the air to attach
to dust and drop it to the ground.

With Water, I just read that Stanford
came up with some silver nanoparticles
that attach to cotton and they can
pass bacterial laden water through
the cotton and electrify it and kill
all the bacteria. They said it was
80 times better than other methods.
I use a water ionizer attached to my
faucet which also has a carbon filter
and between the two, it pretty much
purifies and also alkalizes the water.

puravida19