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Since it’s inception, insulation has traditionally been a static industry with limited innovative advancements to the design approach of the products available. Yet as the world advances in its understanding and builds upon its foundation of technology, ingenuity has come to address this fundamental building necessity known as insulation.

Nansulate (www.nansulate.com) is an internationally patented product line branded under the registration of a company called Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (www.industrial-nanotech.com). This particular brand of insulation utilizes materials with characteristics that work on the nano-scale and can effectively be considered as a product of nanotechnology. Building upon a non-toxic, non-hazardous, water-based foundation, Nansulate can be painted, air-sprayed, or otherwise applied onto almost any conceivable surface area. Recommended by the company to be applied in three coats for the most efficient application, the thickness of the outcome is an ultra-thin film that measures 3-5 wet mils per coat (15 mils < 1/32 inch thick). Yet apart from its unique thickness, which in itself vastly distinguishes the product from comparable insulation alternatives, Nansulate retains several unique characteristics:

1) Translucent appearance

2) Hydrophobic properties

3) Encapsulation capacity

As a result of these properties, Nansulate is able to address several critical areas of home improvement under a single product which include:

1) Superior Insulation (described below)

2) Corrosion Protection

3) Mold Resistance

4) Lead Abatement

5) Chemical Resistance

Addressing the product’s insulative capabilities, I must refer to both science and real-world testimonials because Nansulate does not have an R-Value associated with it. Rather, it is currently impossible for it to have an R-Value on the basis of its revolutionary thinness. R-Values are calculated on a per-inch comparison standard. This lack of an R-Value has hindered the company’s ability to efficiently gain popular support since industry standards revolve around such a measure.

The product’s active insulative ingredient is a material named Hydro-NM-Oxide that retains a thermal conductivity of 0.017 W/mK (ref. 1). A comparable form of insulation called Polyurethane Foam yields a thermal conductivity of 0.04 W/mK (ref. 2) and retains an R-Value rating of 6.64. Because the R-Value is simply the reciprocal of the K-value, Hydro-NM-Oxide’s theoretical R-value would result to be around 10-13 (ref. 1). For further comparison, fiberglass (batts) has an R-value of 3.2 (ref. 3), fiberglass (blown) has an R-value of 2.2 (ref. 3), and rock wool (loose) has an R-value of 2.0 (ref. 3). Conclusively, Hydro-NM-Oxide can be considered as the world’s most insulative material to date.

Considering personal testimonials, house applications have experienced up to 40% energy savings in their heating bills from applying Nansulate (ref. 4). Nansulate’s unique flexibility has led to unconventional applications varying from automobile improvement, to water pipe coating, to combating recurrent mold growth. Yet apart from home improvement, larger organizations such as Petrobras S.A., DEBA, Toyota, Hyundai, the U.S. Navy, and Socotherm have also experimented with Nansulate for industrial applications.

Confessing to the safety of the product, Industrial Nanotech has received a rating from NSF International that certifies the safe use of the product in food environments with the clause supporting “incidental contact with food”. The U.S. Green Building Council has also deemed Industrial Nanotech as an active member and currently distributes Nansulate in test kits for K-12 school experiments. According to the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Nansulate was even explicitly mentioned in a report on environmentally-beneficial nanotechnologies (ref. 5).

Originally designed and targeted as single-product solution to address the issue of corrosion-under-insulation commonly faced in the Oil & Gas industry, Nansulate has managed to excel as a superior product for the home improvement market. In late January 2008, PlaceMakers (New Zealand’s largest home improvement mega-store chain with 55 locations) integrated Nansulate into its product lines for the home consumer. Recently, Lowe’s commercial services website (LowesForPros.com) recommended Nansulate in one article concerning “green” homebuilding (ref. 6). Presently, word of mouth continues to grow as global distributorship brings the product closer to a department store near you. Until that day, Nansulate can be purchased via its website at www.nansulate.com.

Ref. 1 - Sandia National Laboratories

Ref. 2 - Glacier Bay Thermal Study

Ref. 3 - University of Florida

Ref. 4 - http://www.nansulate.ro/nansulate_residential_casestudies.htm

Ref. 5 - http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/nanotech/policy/pdf/envbeneficial-report.pdf

Ref. 6 - http://www.lowesforpros.com/viewArticle.cfm?articleID=1137