As part of RELIANCE activities, POLYRISE is leading the development of innovative, sustainable sol-gel nano-coatings, designed to protect consumer goods, household appliances, and industrial components from damage caused by factors such as scratches and chemical agents. In addition to their protective function, the coatings also offer combined easy-to-clean and new antimicrobial properties.

A key objective of the project is to demonstrate the application of these coatings on final product parts. Components made of glass or stainless steel, commonly used in home appliances like refrigerators, have become a central focus, and POLYRISE is concentrating efforts on applying the new RELIANCE coatings to such materials.

On a broader scale, RELIANCE aims not only to create coatings and products with antimicrobial functionality for end users, but also to advance material design, chemical formulation, and application processes that are more sustainable and safer for both human health and the environment. This ambition reflects evolving societal values and the growing demand from European citizens for sustainable products.

In this context, new water-based, fluorine-free formulations have been developed to produce hydrophobic and oleophobic silica-based coatings. From application process side, POLYRISE have selected the electrostatic bell spraying technology, a highly efficient spraying technique to prepare coated glass or stainless-steel parts. This technology is offered by POLYRISE’s French partner SAMES, one of the major manufacturers in the world of complete painting systems for various industries. The internal charge technology of the electrostatic bell atomizer from Sames Nanocoat range.

Initial coating trials used the PPH707 SAMES atomizer, which employs internal charge technology. This equipment ensures high transfer efficiency, precise deposition, and excellent aesthetic quality of the coating formulation. The first successful series of applications included transparent glass parts and metal door handles, all finished with high visual and functional quality.

At this stage, the coatings applied have not yet incorporated antimicrobial properties. Instead, the focus has been on achieving easy-to-clean surfaces with high transparency, robust mechanical performance, and chemical resistance. Work is ongoing to integrate innovative antimicrobial and sustainable nanoparticles developed specifically for RELIANCE. The next step is the deposition of sol-gel coatings that include these antimicrobial features, fully aligned with RELIANCE’s goals.

These encouraging results point out exciting future opportunities for industry, offering sustainable coating solutions across a variety of applications, with meaningful societal and environmental benefits.

Contributor: POLYRISE

Electrostatic bell spraying system