World’s Lightest Paint: Scientists Developed Paint Made From Nanoparticles That Apply Structural Coloration

In a global assessment report about plastic paint leakage globally, Environmental Action reveals that paint is the largest source of microplastic leakage into the ocean and waterways. Almost three million tonnes of paint-related microplastics are leaked into the world's oceans yearly. It surpasses all the other sources of microplastic such as textile fibers and tire dust.

Aside from leakage in the ocean, the particles in the paint can also mix into the air that we breathe. A study in 2010 found that children who sleep in rooms coated with paint have a higher tendency to develop medical conditions due to the volatile organic compounds in paint.

Paint is largely made of plastic polymers, and these components leak into the environment during a painted object's application, maintenance, or end-of-life cycle. Unfortunately, the global contribution of plastic leakage is not given much focus.

A Better Alternative for Colored Coatings

To prevent commercial paint materials from further degrading our environment and health, a group of researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) developed plasmonic paint. This lightweight, eco-friendly material can potentially replace conventional paints without using harmful components.

Lead researcher Pablo Cencillo Abad from UCF's NanoScience Technology Center claims that their ultralight paint is the lightest in the world and can lessen the overall weight of coated objects.

The ultralight paint made by Abad and his team applies plasmonics which refers to the effect of electron movement on the travel of light in metals. In the proposed lightweight paint, color is produced by using structural coloration. This is the same phenomenon that gives striking colors to butterflies and peacocks. The geometrical pattern of feathers in these animals controls the path of light rays, allowing them to bend at various angles to produce different colors.

As the UCF team alters visible light and generates any color, they give rise to the first full-color structural pain in the world. Structural paint uses aluminum nanoparticles to control light's spectral constituents and create a variety of wavelengths in the form of visible colors.

The research is currently in the early stages of development and is not yet available for commercial use. However, Abad and his team hope their innovation will be a sustainable and eco-friendly substitute for conventional color-coating substances. They also continue to improve their production methods to make them more efficient and less costly.

Structural Paint versus Pigment-Based Paint

Structural paints work by modifying the limits of structural production. As light hits the structure, the electrons of the metal oscillate, capture colors, and reflect the others. The type of color being absorbed will depend on the morphology of the nanoparticles. In short, changing the particle size will result in the absorption of various colors and the production of different hues.

On the other hand, pigment-based colors use pigment molecules to absorb specific wavelengths of light. Generally, pigments are substances that absorb specific light wavelengths and prevent the different wavelengths from being reflected. As conventional paints contain pigments, only some of the wavelengths of white light are being reflected.

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