NANOTECHNOLOGY - WHAT IS IT?
2001
Der Antrieb von Mike Friedrich war es seit jeher, einen essentiellen und nachhaltigen Beitrag für die Menschheit zu leisten. Das war schon bei der ersten Firmengründung am 01. Mai 2001 das Ziel, als er sich – nach jahrelanger Entwicklung im Bereich der Brennstoffzellenforschung bei MTU – mit Fuel Cell Ceramics selbständig machte, um Brennstoffzellen als neue Energiequelle für eine saubere Umwelt rentabel herstellen zu können – getreu dem Motto: Ökologie und Ökonomie gehören zusammen.
Just because it says ‘Nano’ doesn’t mean it actually is.
Many silicone, Teflon, oil and acrylic-based products labels lay claim to the benefits of nanotechnology. But beware: Real nano products cannot be bought for just €9.90 at a supermarket forecourt! Although they may allow water to bead off quickly, they often do not withstand mechanical abrasion, evaporate very quickly, or produce unwelcome streaks. "Nano" is unfortunately not a protected term. This means that there are many imitations on the market that are not real nano products. All you can do is try out the respective product and make your own decision.
In contrast, real nano coatings produce the desired effect over the long term thanks to the firm bond between the coating and the surface. The principle of Nanotol is based on the establishment of mechanical bonds which do not undergo any chemical reactions, cause unwelcome odours and which withstand mechanical stress. This makes Nanotol unique the world over.
Nanotechnology - a key technology of the future
Nanotechnology has been in use in a wide variety of scientific fields for about ten years. The term refers to the systematic analysis and manipulation of materials in a dimension that was once invisible even to microscopes: the nanometre range. There are one million nanometres in a millimetre, an order of magnitude that is difficult to imagine, let alone explain. Nevertheless, nanotechnology has incredible potential for modern science and technology.
Nanotechnology is already being used across a wide range of industries
Materials manipulated on the nanometre scale are being researched or are already being used in many different areas: in the energy sector, the chemical industry, for building materials, in the electronics industry, in information technology and in biotechnology.
It is expected that nanotechnology will start impacting on almost all industrial sectors in the medium term. Their potential applications range from the optimisation of existing products and processes, through product innovations, to a revolutionary redesign of production. Nanotechnology will therefore impact on all areas of social life.
Nanoparticles - they are tiny, even very, very tiny, but they deserve high esteem
Nanoparticles have completely different material properties than particles that can be seen with the naked eye or an ordinary microscope. In nanotechnology, the properties and structures of materials are selectively manipulated at the supramolecular level in order to functionalise their surfaces. In surface technology, nanoparticles are used specifically to form nano-polymer chains, which firmly attach themselves to surfaces like a mesh.
Nanotechnology - copied from nature
The method of applying nanoparticles is comparable to impregnation – and the result is a nanostructured surface. This surface can, for example, be water repellent (hydrophobic). The best example of this effect from nature that we know of is the lotus effect. There are also many particles in nature that are sized in nanometres (Lotus Blossom, colloidal silver (known as medicament), pollen, lamp black, etc.).
The synthetic development of nanometre scale particles has now opened up a new perspective and has made it possible to produce such particles on an industrial scale and use them commercially in products for end users. Nanotechnology products that can be used in the private sphere have fascinating effects and advantages. From practical applications such as keeping dirt at bay (cleaning, dirt repellents) through to preserving objects’ value, longevity and aesthetics (car paints, roof tiles).
Nanotechnology has been in use in a wide variety of scientific fields for many years. The term refers to the systematic analysis and manipulation of materials in a dimension that was once invisible even to microscopes: the nanometre range. There are one million nanometres in a millimetre, an order of magnitude that is difficult to imagine, let alone explain. Nevertheless, nanotechnology has incredible potential for modern science and technology.
