NANOPIGMY · More than color: Applying nanotechnologies for the multifunctional ceramic pigments development

The change in automobile and construction materials requirements has led industries to themodification of bulk materials with nanoparticulate additives or to the application of later highperformance coatings in their materials to obtain better, cleaner, cheaper, faster and smarterproducts [1]. However, there still exist some barriers to nanotechnology-based productscommercialization and use [2]:- Manufacturing processes make the processes more complex- High processing costs for nano-materials- Need of qualified manpowerModification of low-cost pigments could help to introduce nanomaterials (polymers, paints andconcrete) in the market as manufacturing processes in automotive and construction sector wouldnot be altered so there would be no need of qualified manpower. The high-performance pigment(HPP) market performed well in 2006 and continued to grow for a number of reasons but manyof the raw materials used to manufacture HPPs increased in cost, thereby affecting the sellingprice of the finished goods to some extent. The price of high-performance pigments issignificantly higher than classic pigments, and as a result, there are fewer producers of specialtypigments and higher margins for the products.The use of modified low-cost pigment will help toreduce the price of HPPs and consequently the price of nano-materials.NANOPIGMY project seeks to produce cost-efficient multi-functional ceramic pigments withmore functionalities than color to give to the automobile and construction materials(plastic, paint and concrete) the required functionalities through the use of thesenanotechnology-based pigments, avoiding thus changes in manufacturing processes.