NanoTech Materials, a Houston, Texas-based thermal resistance specialist, has developed some of the most groundbreaking coatings in recent years. At a time when wildfires are making headlines across the U.S., NanoTech's Wildfire Shield coating, which includes Insulative Ceramic Particle (ICP™) technology, provides passive fire protection for outdoor wood infrastructure from wildfires. Meanwhile, NanoTech Cool Roof Coat helps keep buildings cooler, saving energy and money.
NanoTech Materials' ICP technology has caught the attention of TIME, which named the company to its prestigious list of the best inventions of 2024. As the company continues to grow, it looks forward to expanding its reach and developing new product lines to reduce heat in the building envelope, logistics and heavy infrastructure sectors.
The History of NanoTech Materials
NanoTech Materials was founded in 2020 when a video by Brazilian professor Claudinei Calado caught the attention of two Texas entrepreneurs who saw the technology's potential.
“Professor C is the inventor of our ICP technology,” said Carrie Horazeck, Chief Commercial Officer of NanoTech Materials. “He is a true expert when it comes to thermodynamics and is still the driving force behind our rapid prototyping coating laboratory.
“Our CEO Mike Francis and CTO Hani Taan met with him and immediately decided to leave their current positions and start the company,” Horazeck added. “It was a real garage startup. We had a breakthrough innovation, a particle that could control heat in a new way, and we spent the first two years figuring out which markets we wanted to focus on, ultimately settling on heat mitigation for construction, logistics and heavy infrastructure.
“The first video was shot on a cell phone and uploaded to YouTube,” Horazeck noted. “The clip was picked up by NASA. Our first shipment of produce was hand-shredded in a driveway, blended in Target stand mixers, cured on a backyard grill, and placed in an old Home Depot bin with a hand-printed label. Four years later, we are venture funded, ISO 9001 certified, ICC and CRRC certified, and manufacturing at scale in our own 42,000 square foot facility in Katy, TX, capable of coating 55 million square feet of roofs annually. It’s been quite a ride.”
Backed by three venture capital firms, three corporate strategies and seven family offices, the company grew quickly and joined the Halliburton Labs Clean Energy Accelerator and the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator.
Being chosen as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 underscores the possibilities offered by NanoTech's ICP technology.
“Being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 is a tremendous honor and recognizes NanoTech’s critical role in adaptive materials to meet the demands of a warming planet and increased wildfire risk,” said Francis, CEO and co-founder of NanoTech Materials . “Our patented insulating ceramic particle technology is designed to address critical gaps in energy consumption and climate impact, addressing the needs of everything from commercial facilities to vulnerable communities in wildfire zones.”
Key markets
NanoTech's key markets are passive fire protection and thermal insulation of building envelopes. For example, Wildfire Shield Coating is ideal for fighting fires, but is also effective as an insert for the safe transport of lithium-ion batteries. NanoTech Cool Roof Coat can be used on roofs as well as on vehicles and containers.
“Our goal was to start with roofs and prove what we could do in terms of heat reduction and energy efficiency, and then move into exterior wall coatings, which we will launch in the first quarter of next year, and finally coatings for windows” , added Horazeck.
NanoTech integrates its ICP technology into all of its coating lines.
“Our ICP is constant. What changes is the carrier and the matrix,” said Horazeck. “For example, Cool Roof must have some elasticity and provide water-repellent benefits, while our wildfire protection must pass higher thermal stress tests.”
Protection against forest fires
NanoTech Materials operates in two very interesting and critical markets, starting with wildfires and Wildfire Shield, which the California Department of Transportation is currently using for passive fire protection of wood cladding for highways and bridges across the state.
“Our core technology has two important thermal properties,” said Horazeck. “The first is a very high emissivity, which removes heat from the substance. These types of coatings tend to be highly absorbent, but our particle combines these phenomena with extremely low thermal conductivity. The fire line differentiates us from intumescent colors, which use reactivation energy to stop a fire. This requires many chemicals, some of which are toxic. This requires many chemicals, some of which are toxic. This contributes to the inhalation of toxic smoke.”
Because NanoTech's Wildfire Shield coating does not require a chemical reaction, it can endure multiple thermal cycles without releasing toxic chemicals into the air.
“Our particle does not require a reactivation temperature – the particle sinters and forms a hardened protective shield,” observed Horazeck. “It can go through multiple fires and thermal cycles. Our Wildfire Shield targets structures – earth walls, highway and bridge infrastructure, logging facilities, barriers, utility poles, wooden fences around neighborhoods – and can serve as a barrier against fire. This allows the user to protect the infrastructure with passive fire protection without having to switch to more expensive concrete support systems. For example, we are carrying out several projects with high-quality vineyards that are currently uninsurable. In our tests, the interior walls never reached more than 15 degrees above ambient temperature.”
Cool roofs
Cool roof coating systems are a game changer in energy efficiency. NanoTech materials utilize low thermal conductivity and high emissivity in addition to reflectivity, enabling improved thermal performance.
“Reflectivite coatings are based on very sound science, and that’s what we do,” Horazeck said. “But if you take something white outside, it gets dirty and its reflectivity and thermal output decrease. Reflective coatings alone will never pay for themselves.
“By incorporating our insulating ceramic particles into the coating, we create a physical barrier between the roof itself, providing both physical and surface protection,” she added. “For a single-story metal building, we can reduce the cooling load of an HVAC unit by up to 49%. This also results in reduced Scope 2 carbon emissions from the HVAC unit. The coating and labor typically pay for themselves within the warranty period and often much quicker. We currently work with three different Fortune 500 companies that typically have large retail spaces.”
Horazeck sees a bright future for NanoTech Materials.
“We have some big customers,” she said. “On the wildfire side, we're working with the California Department of Transportation, who really believe in our technology, and we're expanding into other states that wouldn't be considered fire-prone. The company's goal is to become the global name in thermal insulation for the built environment, logistics and heavy infrastructure. Our goal is to create today’s safest, most energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure and prepare the world for the heat-driven climate realities of the future.”