Hollow nanoparticle coating for thin-film thermal insulation
This technology is a paint-like coating made with tiny hollow nanospheres — each smaller than a human hair is wide — that trap air inside their shells to block heat transfer. The nanoparticles are engineered with a precise, uniform size and coated with two layers of charged molecules that help them disperse evenly and bond well within a coating matrix. When applied to a surface like a wall, window, pipe, or roof, the coating acts as a thin thermal barrier, reducing heat gain or loss. The tight control over particle size and surface chemistry is what distinguishes this from older insulating coatings that used irregular particles with inconsistent performance.
What you could build
A spray-on or brush-on thermal insulation coating for commercial buildings, industrial pipes, and HVAC ductwork that replaces or supplements bulky insulation in space-constrained installations; primary buyers would be building products manufacturers, industrial coatings formulators, and specialty contractors.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's commercial and industrial construction sector, plus federal facilities managers (DoD, GSA) seeking retrofit insulation solutions for existing structures, would be plausible early customers or licensing targets.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Sheng DAI, Jinshui ZHANG, Xueguang JIANG, Shannon Mark Mahurin, Xiao-Guang SUN, Huimin LUO, Rui QIAO
- Granted
- August 11, 2020
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10738202
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.