
Spray-on liquid glass is about to revolutionize almost everything - chaostheory
http://www.physorg.com/news184310039.html
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illumin8
Interesting. It seems like an amazing material, but I wonder what long-term
health problems might arise due to exposure to nano particles of silica.

~~~
Sapient
It can't be much worse than exposure to the chemicals in most of our cleaning
products.

~~~
JacobAldridge
What about pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanoconiosis?

( _Strictly speaking, I think there needs to be a volcano involved to create
the fine particled silica relevant to that disease, but how often do you get a
chance to naturally work it into conversation?_ )

~~~
gjm11
You spelled it wrong :-). "...silico..."

(I've always been disappointed that it's "...microscopic..." rather than
"...microscopo...", which seems rather unnatural.)

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Sapient
I know this is from physorg, but after the second paragraph I was reading it
in a Billy Mays voice.

Still, it sounds interesting, and if it works as they say it does, I imagine
it will become quite ubiquitous.

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rrhyne
Agreed. Article makes it sound like those iraqi bomb detectors.

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bootload
_"... The liquid glass spray produces a water-resistant coating only around
100 nanometers (15-30 molecules) thick. On this nanoscale the glass is highly
flexible and breathable. The coating is environmentally harmless and non-
toxic, and easy to clean using only water or a simple wipe with a damp cloth.
It repels bacteria, water and dirt, and resists heat, UV light and even acids.
... Liquid glass spray is perhaps the most important nanotechnology product to
emerge to date. It will be available in DIY stores in Britain soon ..."_

Not news but a PR release. It pays to be cautious when making claims to be
_"new"_ , _"harmless"_ and _"available in stores soon"_. The claim the
particles are 100 nanometers is significant.

Why?

Well it appears that a lot of research is done on nanometer particles, health
and lung function and the threshold for damage around 100 nanometers ~
[http://www.google.com/search?q=100+nanometer+particles+and+l...](http://www.google.com/search?q=100+nanometer+particles+and+lung+function)
even more for 50nm. Below a certain size, particles are membrane permeable -
when breathed in, pass directly through the air/blood membranes of the lung
into the bloodstream. There is a lot of research to suggest that sub .25µm
particles of diesel (2.5 micrometers = 2500 nanometers) causes health problems
~
[http://www.google.com/search?q=.25+micron+diesel+particles+h...](http://www.google.com/search?q=.25+micron+diesel+particles+health)
An explanation here to why ~ <http://www.lungoregon.org/air/Diesel.html>

_"... PM (Particulate Matter) has now been linked to a broad range of adverse
health effects, both respiratory and cardiovascular, in epidemiologic and
toxicologic research. ... The primary impetus for the 1997 PM NAAQS and the
current proposed revision has been epidemiologic evidence that associates PM
with increased risk for mortality ..."_ ~ _"Small Particles with Big Effects"_
, William N. Rom, M.D., M.P.H.",
[http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/173/4/365#BIB...](http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/173/4/365#BIB2)

So I'd really like to know when materials like this are even suggested before
they are released for commercial and human use without significant long term
testing. Think asbestos and the long lead time for
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis>

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timdellinger
Has anyone been able to dig up the patents on this? I tried a quick google
patent search to try to get more technical detail on what they're doing and
how they're doing it, but I haven't found the patents. They mention patents,
but don't say much about them.

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geuis
I can't find a link anywhere about how to purchase this. Anyone have one?

~~~
Raphael
Try here. <http://www.der-nano-shop.de/>

~~~
dandelany
Thanks for the link... Although this image was the only part I understood
before running it through Google Translate:

<http://www.der-nano-shop.de/prinzip.jpg>

:-D

~~~
patrickgzill
Ah, it keeps the schmutz out!

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jacquesm
I think for 'breathable' they meant 'porous' or permeable, otherwise it makes
no sense.

~~~
sparky
Yes, it is a rather strange bastardization of the word, but it has been used
for e.g. fabrics for expensive ski jackets for a while now.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breathable>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterproof_fabric> "Breathability is measured by
the rate at which water vapor passes through, in the units of grams of water
vapour per square meter of fabric per 24 hour period (g/m2/d), often
abbreviated to just 'g'. "

