Air Purifying Coating Using Diatomic Frustule TiO2
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current air purifying products for indoor environments lose efficacy as they fill with impurities, failing to provide lasting reductions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxins, which contributes to issues like 'sick house syndrome due to trapped VOCs in airtight homes.
Innovation Solution
An air purifying coating system combining a diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particle dispersion with a carrier agent, such as a cleaning or polishing agent, which includes a stable aqueous dispersion of diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particles, water, and additives like copolymers and defoamers, applied to surfaces to reduce VOCs and provide chemical resistance and clarity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current air purifying products are used to reduce VOCs, then VOC reduction efficacy is initially achieved, but the products become inactive as they fill with impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the air purifying material by using diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particles with specific surface area and pore structure characteristics. These parameter changes enable the material to maintain its air purifying function over extended periods without becoming saturated with impurities, thus resolving the contradiction between initial efficacy and lasting performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structure by combining diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particles with specific carrier agents and additives to create a coating system. This composite approach enhances the durability and sustained effectiveness of the air purifying function, preventing deactivation over time while maintaining VOC reduction capabilities.
2Loss of energy
If airtight home construction is implemented to improve energy efficiency, then energy efficiency is improved, but VOCs are trapped within the house leading to sick house syndrome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of trapped VOCs into a beneficial outcome by applying the air purifying coating to surfaces inside the airtight home. The coating actively breaks down VOCs through photocatalytic oxidation, transforming the harmful trapped gases into harmless substances, thus resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The diatomic frustule titanium dioxide coating acts as an intermediary substance between the trapped VOCs and the indoor environment. It mediates the decomposition of harmful VOCs into benign products, allowing airtight construction to maintain energy efficiency while the coating prevents VOC accumulation from causing sick house syndrome.
3Reliability
If diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particle dispersion is combined with carrier agent to form coating system, then air purifying performance is improved, but formulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by developing a universal coating formulation that integrates air purifying functionality with common carrier agents used in cleaning and polishing products. This approach allows the same basic formulation structure to serve multiple purposes (cleaning, polishing, and air purification), reducing the need for separate complex formulations for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes formulation complexity by adjusting key parameters such as particle size (1-35 microns), concentration ranges (0.1-15 weight percent), and surface area characteristics of the titanium dioxide particles. These parameter optimizations enable effective air purification while maintaining manageable formulation complexity for manufacturing and application.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coating system effectively reduces VOC levels in indoor air, maintaining or improving surface properties like chemical resistance and clarity, with sustained performance even after exposure to light, demonstrating a lasting reduction in indoor air toxins.
Implementation Method 1
The air purifying coating system may be applied to substrates, such as wood, laminate, or synthetic surfaces such as PVC, vinyl, linoleum, or hard surfaces such as concrete, stone, terrazzo, granite, or marble and reduces toxins, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), from the surrounding air environment
Data Source
AI summary
An air purifying coating system and method for making same having a carrier agent and a diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particle dispersion combined with the carrier agent. The coating system may include 70-99.9 weight percent carrier agent and 0.1-30 weight percent diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particle dispersion. The carrier agent of the coating system may include a cleaning agent or a polishing agent. The diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particle dispersion may include 1-35 micron particle size diatomic frustule titanium dioxide particles combined with water and dispersion additive. The dispersion may further include an anti-settling additive, a rheology additive, and/or a defoamer.