A team of PPG experts has highlighted the sustainability benefits of the company’s advanced coatings during a special European Researchers’ Night event held at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy. PPG said the Europe-wide public event showcased the diversity of science and the way it impacts people’s daily lives in inspiring ways.
Using the museum’s interactive chemistry laboratory, an educational resource developed in partnership with PPG, the PPG team performed experiments demonstrating the properties of the company’s automotive and heat-reflecting coatings. One of the highlights was a coating inspired by the heat-reflective properties of an eggplant.
PPG said the heat-management exterior coating keeps aircraft cool and reduces related air conditioning and energy use. Exteriors remain up to 14°C cooler while interior cabin temperatures are reduced by three to four degrees Celsius. The technology is also used to help reduce temperatures inside buildings.
“At PPG, we are committed to innovating sustainable products that enable our customers’ sustainability and we are promoting sustainability along the entire supply chain from raw materials, through manufacturing, to the finished product,” said Federico Menta, PPG Global Technical Director Automotive Customer Development, who led the demonstration team.
“This applies across all our end-use markets. In the automotive industry, for example, our industry-leading electrocoat technology helps customers to reduce their waste and energy use and we have developed a range of coatings and related products that support the transformation to electric vehicles.”