Whether scratch-resistant car paints, nonfogging glass, waterproof paper, or dirtrepellent textiles – functional surfaces are a rapidly growing future market and are already very important in many branches of industry.
Coatings that provide additional functions to the surface of a well tested material add value because they substantially boost the practical value of products. In addition, the spectrum of possible areas of application for functional coatings is extremely broad and diverse, ranging from simple stainless steel coatings for kitchens to highly sensitive lab-on-a-chip medical technology.
|  | New Dimension Materials Functional Coatings & Ceramic Composites
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Neue Dimension Material Funktionelle Beschichtungen & keramische Verbundwerkstoffe
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The key technologies for functional coatings are micro- and nanotechnology. These technologies enable surfaces of various objects to have different functions, and in many cases a material is only as good as its surface.
A very common example is rust. Metal parts need effective corrosion protection, as corrosion eats away some three percent of the world’s gross domestic product each year. Moreover, hardness, tactile qualities, and abrasion resistance can also be improved by modern functional coatings.
Electronic components can be equipped with anti-static properties, while medical devices get anti-bacterial surfaces, and glass obtains new capabilities for transmitting light and heat or for self-cleaning. |