HSINCHU, TAIWAN--(Marketwire - Nov 2, 2011) - ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute), Taiwan's largest and one of the world's leading high-tech research and development institutions, introduces Spray-IT™, the first eco-friendly, thermal spray coating for use on glass and building material to lower energy costs. Spray-IT™ can be applied easily to windows or tile surfaces on existing or new buildings via an inexpensive high-pressure spray mechanism to block harmful UV rays into and heat leakage out of buildings. The technology provides the first affordable green option, at one-tenth the cost of traditional coatings, to address the $75 billion existing market for heat-reflective window glass projected for 2012. Spray-IT™ will receive the 2011 Wall Street Journal - Technology Innovation Award next week for this breakthrough technology.
Cooling costs account for approximately 20 percent of the average U.S. home's electric bill. In warmer states, air conditioning could account for up to 70 percent of monthly energy bills1. In office buildings, as much as 23 percent of energy costs are cooling-related and 25 percent are heating-related2. When applied to window glass or external tiles, Spray-IT's™ green thermal insulation coating can significantly reduce energy bills and the harmful cumulative effects mass energy consumption has on the environment.
ITRI's Spray-IT™ coating uses radically different materials to achieve low-cost, high-insulation performance unlike the typical expensive silver needed for traditional window and thermal coatings. With an ingenious optical system design, Spray-IT™ provides an inexpensive lithium-fluorine co-doped tin oxide coating material called LiFTO that is suitable for spraying directly onto glass or tile surfaces, to form an insulation layer. The LiFTO coating can be applied easily either indoors or in open-air conditions. Both manufacturing of the coating material and deployment are easy and economical, making it more affordable for businesses and individuals to use the technology to reduce energy bills.
ITRI's Spray-IT™ technology works under the same principle as other coating technologies but is the only one available in an easy-to-apply spray form. Spray-IT™ reflects unwanted UV rays, yet allows light to pass through easily. While the Spray-IT™ coating is currently being used primarily on glass and tile surfaces, alternate uses are being tested. These include use as thermal insulation for solar panels to decrease panel temperature for improved electricity generation, and on cars, buses and trains for better air-conditioning efficiency.
Conventional thermal insulation layers are coated using expensive materials, such as silver, and the coating process requires expensive industrial procedures such as sputtering in a controlled environment including a vacuum chamber. This process is too slow for mass production and the high cost often discourages companies from using coated glass and tile surfaces that would typically lower energy costs. This leads to higher energy consumption to maintain an adequate building temperature in hot and cool climates, which negatively impacts the environment.
"Managing energy consumption is critical, especially in warm and cool climates where offices and homes, without proper thermal insulation, present a huge draw on the energy grid," said Dr. Tzer-Shen Lin, division director, ITRI's Electronic Materials & Devices Research Group. "ITRI's Spray-IT™ thermal insulation coating makes it easy for companies and individuals to afford thermal insulation so energy can be conserved while reducing the overall carbon footprint. Spray-IT™ is inexpensive to produce, easy to apply and environmentally friendly."
ITRI has applied for 14 patents for Spray-IT™, 12 of which have been granted. ITRI is in the process of licensing the technology in Taiwan. Interested companies can contact ITRI at 1-408-428-9988 or 0800@itri.org.tw for more information.
ITRI, headquartered in Taiwan, has offices in the United States, Japan, Russia and Germany in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote opportunities for international cooperation. In the United States, it has long-term collaborative arrangements with MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University. Globally, it has 23 international cooperations with major companies such as IBM, HP, Microsoft, Nokia, Sun Microsystems, Kodak, Lucent and Motorola.
To date, ITRI holds more than 14,571 patents and has assisted in the creation of more than 163 start-ups and spin-offs. In 2011, the institute has received four prestigious international awards: The Excellent Organization, Solar Industry Awards in UK for Solar Radome, two R&D 100 Awards for i2R e-Paper and HyTAC, and the Silver Award for The Society for Information Display's (SID) Display of the Year Awards for ITRI Flexible Substrate for Displays. In 2010, the institute received five prestigious international awards: The Overall Gold Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award for its FlexUPD technology, runner-up in the Semiconductor category for its MDPS (Micro-Deformable Piezoresistive Sensor Technology) and three R&D 100 Awards for FlexUPD, i2/3DW and Reddex. In 2009, the institute also received four prestigious international awards: The Wall Street Journal's 2009 Technology Innovation Award for its FleXpeaker technology, an R&D 100 Award for the High Safety STOBA Lithium Battery Material Technology, the iF Design Award from the International Forum Design in Germany for ITRI's Fluid Driven Lighting System, and the Red Dot Design Award by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany, for its Flexio Radio Technology.
About ITRI (www.itri.org.tw/eng)
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a nonprofit R&D organization engaging in applied research and technical services. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's economy from a labor-intensive industry to a high-tech industry. Numerous well-known, high-tech companies in Taiwan, such as leaders in the semiconductor industry TSMC and UMC, can trace their origins to ITRI.
Innovative Research
ITRI is a multidisciplinary research center, with six core laboratories, three focus centers, five linkage centers, several leading labs and various business development units. The six fields ITRI focuses on include Information and Communication; Electronics and Optoelectronics; Material, Chemical and Nanotechnologies; Biomedical Technologies and Device; Advanced Manufacturing and Systems; and Green Energy and Environment. ITRI has aggressively researched and developed countless next-generation technologies, including WIMAX wireless broadband, solar cells, RFID, light electric vehicles, flexible displays, 3-D ICs and telecare technologies. In addition, ITRI's Flexible Electronics Pilot Lab and Nanotechnology Lab provide international-level research platforms where R&D can be conducted jointly with partners. ITRI has also seen significant growth in intellectual property business and new ventures in recent years and is devoted to creating a model that would make Taiwan manufacturing even more competitive in the international arena.
Fostering Entrepreneurship and CEO Leadership
ITRI employs 5,728 personnel, including 1,163 who hold Ph.D.s and 3,152 with master's degrees, resulting in an average of five patents produced every day. By disseminating both technology and talent, ITRI has led the technology industry into the 21st century and has cultivated 70 CEOs in the local high-tech industry. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the California Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Berlin and Moscow.
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