Electrically conductive coatings are used in numerous facets of industry and manufacturing. Many of these applications could not be economically made without the latest advancements in conductive coatings.
- Conductive adhesives to electrically bond dissimilar components
- Automobile glass for defrosting as well as clarity adjustment
- Automobile component electro-coating
- Innovative Electroplating
- Circuit components-high power capacitors-circuit boards
- Photovoltaic cells
- Led lighting
- Touch screens
- Medical electrodes
- Membrane switches
- Electrically conductive ink
- Transducers
Active solar panels that convert sunlight straight into electrical energy depend on economical conductive coatings to lessen production costs and help make large solar arrays more competitive with conventional power generating methods.
Amongst the more fascinating applications of electrically conductive coatings is the making of “smart glass”, utilizing electro-chromic technology. Smart glass is a layered glass produced by laminating two pieces of glass over an electrically conductive coating that is photoelectric sensitive. The sandwiched conductive coating is made to darken with the application of a low voltage current. This technology has been utilized for quite some time as auto dimming automobile mirrors and more recently as “smart windows”, house windows that you can set the opaqueness with touch of a switch.
Another use of electrically conductive coatings is the production of recreational sonar transducers. Almost every power boat enthusiast has a “locator” fitted somewhere on their boat. Basically, the transducers are a crystal created to vibrate at a particular frequency (Hz) when an electric current is used; the transducer emits a pulse that travels until it’s reflected back to the transducer by an object such as the lake bottom or a suspended object. Operation is just like sonar without the audible “ping”.
This same technology is required in GPR (ground penetrating radar or sub-surface imaging). GPR utilizes much lower frequency and bigger transducer arrays. A signal or pulse out of the transducer array penetrates the earth to a limited depth-depending on the frequency of the transducer-then reflected back to a control console which reads the signal. GPR is used for searching for buried man made anomalies such as pipes, tanks, cables and even unmarked graves. Archeologists use it to acquire evidence of past civilizations.
Conductive coatings make all of these technologies feasible or maybe economically feasible would be a better term. Without these specialized coatings, development of these forms of specialized equipment for researchers and the average consumer would cost prohibitive.
To find out about the conductive coatings as well as electrically conductive and more visit us right away.