Silicon nanosphere coatings deliver glossy, nonfading color on 3D surfaces
"Color coatings are expected to provide vivid color, brightness, gloss and long-term durability, yet no existing technology satisfies all of these requirements simultaneously," says Kobe University materials engineer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Conventional coatings usually rely on relatively thick pigment layers that fade and add significant weight.
Silicon nanosphere coatings have been shown to provide vibrant, durable color on 3D surfaces without fading or adding excessive weight. While conventional coatings often use thick pigment layers that deteriorate over time, structural color derived from peacock-like arrays maintains its hue and does not fade, even under prolonged exposure to light. However, traditional structural color relies on precise alignment that changes with viewing angles, rendering it incompatible with protective layers.
Kobe University materials engineer Hiroshi Sugimoto has developed a novel approach to structural color using silicon nanospheres, which creates angle-independent coloration. By encapsulating these nanospheres in silica shells, his team was able to enhance reflectance and achieve a glossy finish on large 3D surfaces. Importantly, adding a protective coating did not significantly alter the color of the coating.
This breakthrough offers a lightweight, highly opaque, and bright coating solution with just a single layer of silicon nanospheres.
The use of silicon, a non-toxic material sourced from the semiconductor industry, and silica, a widely abundant material in the Earth's crust, makes these coatings environmentally friendly and resource-efficient. With potential applications ranging from aircraft coatings to multifunctional technologies, Sugimoto's team aims to expand the scope of their technology by developing coatings with additional optical functions like sensing, photocatalysis, and energy management.
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