| Nanomaterials for Cleaning, Industry, and Pigment
Altairnano has a patented, flexible manufacturing process that can produce a wide variety of advanced nanomaterials. They include thermal spray powders for industrial coatings, materials for cleaning water and air, and the first new TiO2 pigment process in 50 years.
We can develop and supply the materials to help leading manufacturers and suppliers in diverse industries build their business by taking advantage of innovative nanotechnology.
The materials begin with a flexible, patented process
Combining world-class scientific development with a patented growth-in-film manufacturing process enables Altairnano to economically produce, in high volumes, a wide variety of ceramic nanomaterials. Through our process, we can precisely control key material properties, including surface area, morphology, particle size and purity. This enables us to develop materials to address specific application requirements.
We offer custom and off-the-shelf materials, with the manufacturing capability to produce hundreds of tons of material. These materials include zirconias for thermal barrier coatings and nano TiO2 for corrosion- and abrasion-resistance coatings. A complete list of our nano-materials experience is shown in this table.
Solutions for cleaning water and air
What makes one pool chemical better than another? Our answer is nanotechnology. Our Nanocheck™ product is a lanthanum-based compound that binds with phosphate anions. Algae, the bane of anyone who has been forced to clean a pool or other water facility, requires phosphate nutrients to grow and reproduce. Nanocheck effectively starves the algae by removing its primary food source.
Since Nanocheck is a nanomaterial, it has a high surface area, designed for quicker response and higher capacity than other chemicals. And it provides phosphate binding over an extended period. Nanocheck can be used in a variety of water treatment applications, from recreational pools to industrial water management.
Industrial coatings
We’ve developed nanomaterial powders, which can be applied on the surface of metals by standard thermal “gunning” techniques. The resulting coatings are extremely tough and highly resistant to abrasion. They also feature lower porosity over thermal spray coatings created from conventional powders, making them more resistant to corrosion.
The nanomaterials are well suited for harsh environments such as aerospace propulsion systems, blades and vanes, medical applications, textile and paper machinery, boilers for power plants, waste incinerators and petrochemical plants.
We offer custom and off-the-shelf powders, with the manufacturing capability to produce hundreds of tons of material. Those powders include zirconias for thermal barrier coatings and nano TiO2 for corrosion- and abrasion-resistance coatings.
Pigment Process
Since the 1950’s, titanium dioxide pigment has been manufactured using either a sulfate or chloride process. The know-how related to the lower cost variants of these processes has been controlled by a few select producers with a relatively large number of producers having cost structures that have become uneconomic.
The Altair Hydrochloride Pigment (AHP) process is a new generation process offering a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution for the production of titanium dioxide pigment.
The AHP process, from Altairnano, is a flexible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly process that is backed by more than 10 years of development and testing. The process—with worldwide patents—can produce a premium grade, pure-white titanium dioxide pigment in large or small quantities from a wide variety of feedstocks. The AHP process can process ilmenite feedstock with relatively high quantities magnesium, manganese, chromium, and other elements without impacting product quality.
Technology Implementation
Altairnano has formed a joint venture company with the Sherwin-Williams company which is called AlSher Titania LLC (AlSher). AlSher has an exclusive license of the use of the AHP technology and will be the vehicle to be used for the first phase of the commercialization of the technology.
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