Nanotech Materials was recognized for a patented technology that integrates into common building materials and coatings.
HOUSTON—NanoTech Materials, Inc., is working to transform the science of heat control. The provider of environmentally adaptive materials integrates its novel Insulative Ceramic Particle into common building materials, coatings, and substrates to give them “uncommon heat conservation, rejection, or containment properties,” the company said in a release.
The work of NanoTech Materials is not going unnoticed. The company was named recently to TIME’s list of the Best Inventions of 2024 for its patented Insulative Ceramic Particle™ (ICP) technology.
The innovative material, listed in the manufacturing and materials category, is integrated into NanoTech’s portfolio of thermal coatings, including Cool Roof Coat, Insulative Coat, and Wildfire Shield. It is said to provide “transformative solutions for commercial and critical infrastructure” by addressing two of today’s most pressing challenges—energy efficiency and fire resistance.
Each year, TIME evaluates global innovations that push boundaries and solve complex issues with significant impact, focusing on originality, efficacy, ambition, and transformative potential.
“The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions)—that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible,” TIME’s editors wrote.
“Being named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 is a tremendous honor and further acknowledges NanoTech’s critical role in adaptive materials to meet the demands of a warming planet and heightened wildfire risks,” said Mike Francis, CEO and co-founder of NanoTech Materials, in the release. “Our patented Insulative Ceramic Particle technology was developed to tackle critical gaps in energy use and climate impact by addressing needs from commercial facilities to vulnerable communities in wildfire zones.”
NanoTech’s ICP technology, at the core of Cool Roof Coat, is reported to minimize heat transfer to dramatically lower indoor temperatures, reduce HVAC demands, and achieve energy savings of up to 50 percent versus traditional roofing materials. The coating reflects sunlight and increases heat resistance, significantly dropping internal building temperature and reducing scope 2 CO2 emissions associated with HVAC, the company said in the release.
Additionally, NanoTech’s Wildfire Shield, fortified with ICP, is said to protect open-air infrastructure with a fire resistance threshold of up to 1,800°C. Unlike standard fire-resistant materials, it produces no smoke or volatile organic compounds, enhancing safety and protecting critical infrastructure from catastrophic fire damage, the release stated.