Solar nanocoating research update

Researchers in Iran have developed a nanoparticle coating that they say helps to increase efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.
The researchers, working for Abar Nanofanavar Pishgam Sharif Company in Tehran, used titanium dioxide nanoparticles to create and test the coating as a replacement for silicon cells, according to a statement released Monday (Oct. 26) by the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council.
The solar cells can be used to generate power for industrial applications; household appliances; the automotive industry; and in aerospace.

©iStock.com / sawaddee3002

Researchers in Iran have developed a new coating for solar cells that uses titanium dioxide nanoparticles instead of more costly silicon.

Dye-sensitized solar cells have become more important in recent years, according to the researchers.
They can be produced inexpensively in comparison to silicon cells and have relatively simple production technology. The goal of the most recent experiment was to produce and study the performance of a coating that will be used in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Efficiency in Short Circuits
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles doped with elements—such as strontium and chrome—were used to produce the coating, according to the statement.
The titanium dioxide and other spherical nanoparticles used average about 60 nanometers in size. Crystalline structure, chemical structure and composition of the coatings were controlled to increase the current density in short circuits of dye-sensitized solar cells.
Researchers said they believe that the increase in efficiency of the cells in comparison with the cells produced on the base of usual coatings (such as those made with silicon) is a result of the increase in the current density in their short circuits.
In addition to the inexpensive production costs, the other advantages of titanium dioxide nanoparticles are a cheaper final price and a high transparency for the light, the statement said.
They caution, however, that studies still need to be completed to determine how to increase the efficiency of the new cells because they have a low yield of electrical current from the solar cells.
The study is published in the December 2015 issue of the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

New products for different applications

We are very excited to be using the new EZ Fin by +Daly's paints & stains.  We have a current project where we believe it will be the perfect application for the space.  Tenhulzen Painting uses a lot of Seafin Aquaspar Marine Varnish and it goes on beautifully with three coats.
There are times when we need something a little thinner that will more closely represent a spray on lacquer finish.  EZ Fin uses the same resins that Aquaspar does, however it has additional characteristics that allow it to go on thinner, thus allowing to soak into the wood surfaces even better and giving us a more natural wood grain look.

We have three interior elevators we are currently working on that we feel will be an excellent fit for this product.  The elevators should be done today and I hope to swing by to snap some photos of the finished product.

Thank you to +Robin Daly & team for their ingenuity and service, we love working with them.

Tenhulzen Painting focuses on wood finishing, wood refinishing & wood restoration systems.

The key to quality results and a beautiful end product starts with prep work.  Part of prep work is making sure you have the appropriate answers to all of your questions.  All projects have many different elements that will affect the overall process and application that should be used.  It is best when the person performing the work prepares himself or herself prior to starting any job.  We will start very general in this section and then move into more specifics in a later article.

Proper wood preparation:  
1. It is always good to know what specific type of wood you are working with to ensure you approach the project with the appropriate mindset.  Different types of woods behave differently under the preparation phase.  Some woods are harder, some are softer and if you use the wrong process or materials you can cost yourself dearly;
2. Know what you are going for; what should the end result look like.  We like to accomplish this by putting finished samples in front of our clients for both color, density and sheen accuracy.  We then produce a sample on their specific piece from there.  These samples could be related to cabinetry, furniture, railings, tongue & groove ceilings, decks, posts and beams, log homes, and whatever else may be called for.  The important piece is to make sure you have an end result signed off on before tackling the entire project with what may be your idea of what it should look like.
3. Follow the specific instructions set forth on the products to be used, whether that be sandpaper, stripping agents, bleaches, cleaners, oils, sanding sealers, conditioners, dye's, etc.  

Selecting color coats for the job:
1. Many of us in the industry are limited in our knowledge and in our experience using the multitude of products available in the marketplace.  I know some people that have way more knowledge that I have and crank out the facts and know the best application for every situation, however they may not have the best business sense about them.  Now that you know that I am limited in my knowledge and have nothing to prove, I can share with you openly what I do know and what works.
2. Again, you want to be working from an end result for a clients end goal of what their finished product should look like.  Depending on the color, depth and tone of the stain you will want to use different systems and approaches.
3. I recently had to stain a white maple railing a much darker burgundy or Mahogany color.    When you are trying to achieve a dark color it is not always the best idea to apply a sealer coat like Benite to the wood because the stains will then not penetrate as much as you would like them to.  In this instance I had to wet the wood with water to open the grain, sand it lightly with 220 grit to slightly smooth the rougher hairs of the wood and then use the Daly's water based Aniline stain in order to get a base color coat.  I then had to go over the Aniline stain with the oil wood stain to achieve the final darker color.  
4. Once your desired color is achieved you will need to finish it with the appropriate top coat or protectant coat. 

Finish coats or Protective coats:
1. In the case above it was not appropriate for me to use my go to water based product Seafin Aquaspar Marine Varnish, because it tends to reactivate the water based aniline stain.  So instead I had to go with an oil based product like Profin or a lacquer product.
2. In this case I decided to minimize my brushing efforts and dry time delays and elected to use a sanding sealer and the ML Campbell lacquer top coats out of the aerosol cans.
With a light sand using 400 grit between coats as usual, the final product turned out looking beautiful.

I look forward to getting deeper into the process of wood finishing systems with you and while you learn I too will learn better.   Thank you for the opportunity.
http://www.dalyspaint.com

Tenhulzen Painting donates much needed paint and labor to Safe Place

On Saturday, August 18^th Tenhulzen Painting donated its time and painting materials to freshen up the space used by the Hand in Hand Organization called Safe Place.

 

Video Introduction of Safe Place

As most of our friends, family, clients and colleagues know, Tenhulzen Painting commits itself to doing community service projects once or twice a year.  Earlier in 2012, we donated time to a family shelter where displaced families could find safety, shelter and food while attempting to pick up pieces of their lives that had been shattered due to job losses and other circumstances.  When we heard about Safe Place we knew we had to be part of this amazing organization too.

About a month before we started our project with Safe Place a young girl was brought in for care until a foster family could be found. This child was found wedged between the backseats of an abandoned vehicle. She was unclothed, covered in feces and filth, bruised, scared, malnourished and showed evidence of needle marks in her arms. This little girl was 2 YEARS OLD! This is just one of many stories we heard that literally broke our hearts.

Did you know that on any given day there are more than 10,000 children within the Washington foster care system? Usually, these children are forcibly removed from their homes, given a black garbage bag to hold their belongings, and are often separated from siblings. Before Safe Place the social workers who picked up these children had to drive around with them all night, or sit in restaurants while making calls to find emergency foster care. Since the creation of Safe Place, these kids now have a place where there is a warm bed, showers, toys and books, hot meals and loving volunteers to take care of them until the right foster home for that child can be found. Safe Place is the

Safe Place does not receive any money from government or state programs. It is funded entirely by private donations and some support from the United Way Foundation. At Tenhulzen Painting, we feel strongly that we as individuals must be aware of the needs in our community and act where we can. Sometimes this means donating our time and materials, sometimes it is about donating money or needed items and sometimes its’ just as meaningful to spread the word.

If you feel the call as we do, to make an impact in our community, please consider “spreading the word” or donating in the following ways:

Volunteer at Safe Place

               Reading to children

               Administrative tasks

               Fund-raising

               Playing with children

               Construction/landscaping

               General Cleaning

Become a Foster Parent

               Short term housing (24-72 hours)

               Respite care (relief for long term care parents)

               Long term foster/adopting

Donations

               Monthly Support

               One time gifts

               Gifts in kind

Fred Meyer gift cards

Diapers (all sizes especially #5’s)

Pull-Ups (all sizes)

Baby Wipes

Baby Formula (Similac Advance seems to be most used)

Bottles

Sippy Cups

Socks (new)

Underwear (new)

Combs and brushes

Hair “pretties”

Kid’s toothbrushes

Kid’s toothpaste

Kid’s shampoo

Kid’s body wash

Clorox or Lysol Wipes

Latex/rubber gloves

Kid’s suitcases with wheels

Non-perishable Food items

Crackers, cookies, cereal (individual serving sizes), canned fruit and veggies, spaghetti sauce, pasta, mac and cheese, frozen dine (ie. Chicken nuggets, French fries, lasagna, hot pockets, burritos)

Landry soap and fabric softener sheets

Storage tubs

Hand soap

Kleenex

Paper Towels

Napkins

Childrens Tylenol and Ibuprofen

Hand held video games and cartridges

Kid friendly DVD’s

Twin sized Aerobed

Hand In Hand is a 501©(3) organization and all donations given may be tax deductible.

               14 East Casino Road, Suite #E

               Everett, WA 98208

You can contact Todd McNeal, Executive Director and founder for volunteer opportunities at (206)497-9762.

Tenhulzen Painting would be happy to collect donation items and deliver them on your behalf. Just call Scott at 425-785-5327 or Michele at 425-780-9371.

For more information:  www.handinhandkids.org

https://www.facebook.com/handinhandkids

 

Thank you for taking the time to read about Safe Place!

Solar Conductive Coatings, Photovoltaic Coatings

Professor Michael Gratzel of Switzerland has been named the winner of the Albert Einstein World Award of Science for "outstanding accomplishments to the welfare of mankind and the health of the planet."

The coatings that Professor Gratzel and his team have developed create an artificial process of photosynthesis as occurs naturally in plants and applies it to paint.  This technology could be vastly used in areas like Bermuda where the roof's are all painted white with a non-sluffing coating to also collect water for the multi thousand gallon cisterns under their homes.  If this coating were applied to roofs and even the south sides of buildings it could have a major impact on the forms that we use to generate electricity.

Solar coatings will also offer future opportunities for the coatings industry to diversify their services and ultimately provide a much more attractive alternative to regular paint.  For an individual like myself who has always been interested in Photovoltaics, this development is an exciting opportunity for our business and our clients.  It will be fascinating to see how this invention develops and is applied as it comes to market.

Tenhulzen Painting will report further on the development of this product and its uses as the information becomes available.
Congratulations to Professor Michael Gratzel.
http://www.durabilityanddesign.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=7302&nl_versionid=1802

Sherwin Williams Anti-Graffiti Coating

Hi guys,

I thought I would share some information on a new coating from Sherwin Williams that resists those annoying graffiti artists. 

Tenhulzen Painting has done a lot of work removing and re-painting surfaces that contained Graffiti.  In the correct application, this coating could probably save you and your owners a good amount of headache, time and money.  Feel free to read more by following the link to the product information.  The product is of course a gloss finish and may be good for some areas and not for others. Perfect for doors and block walls that are more hidden.  Available for color matching to your current color schemes.

Pro Industrial™ Anti-Graffiti Coating®

Thank you for all of your business, we are grateful to have such great partnerships.

Tenhulzen Painting at Benjamin Moore Paint Co. Headquarters

I have just returned from the Benjamin Moore Headquarters and laboratories in New Jersey.  I must say, I am completely blown away at the amount of time, money, research and testing that this company puts into a gallon of paint.  While on the tour at the Laboratories in Flanders New Jersey, we were able to see the many scientists in their labs working on development and manipulation of their already superior products.

I was impressed with the amount of time that they dedicated to us with having various experts presenting to us what it is that they do every day.  We were shown the many tests that they perform using advanced machines such as the accelerated weathering testers, controlled temperature and humidity chambers, scrub testers, leveling tests, abrasion tests, coverage tests, etc.  Their objective is to not only test their own products but also those of their competitors to ensure that they are staying on the cutting edge of paint technology.  Benjamin Moore is the leader in the production of 100% acrylic paints, those such as the Aura line, and they stay on top of their game by diligently exploring possibilities with coatings.  The Aura line was actually developed by a few new scientists coming into the mix and bringig their new ideas to the table.

Jim Mallory of mallory Paint Stores in the Seattle area was our sponsor more or less for the three of us contractors that went on the trip.  We were all four taken to the outdoor test farm which was around 5 acres of different types of panels of wood siding & decking, vinyl, composite decking, and aluminum siding set at 90 degree angles, 45 degree angles for faster weathering scenarios, and at flat horizontal surfaces for the decking materials.  I was most blown away at how the two coat system was proving to outlast and hold up better than the one coat application.  Too many contractors try to get by with one coat and I was validated in Tenhulzen Painting's practices of applying our two coats every time.

The entire laboratory 5 acre parking lot is covered by solar panels and then there is another 15 acre solar panel field that generates all of the electricity for their facilities.  They generate so much electricity that they are able to sell back much of the energy to the electric companies.  Benjamin Moore has also started using natural gas semi's for all of their national shipping efforts which is a much cleaner and greener way to do business.  Along with these consumption minimization efforts the company is also producing the most advanced NO VOC paints in the industry.

While a majority of the paint we used in the past 12 years has been Benjamin Moore, it is Tenhulzen Painting's objective to use more Benjamin Moore paint in 2012.

Following our visit to the laboratories we went to the company corporate Headquarters where we met briefly with the CEO/ president, Arbor Coat stain and primers head, sales management lead,  a couple vice presidents and finance department management.  Needless to say at this point, we had a very impressive time with the company and left with goody bags full of benjamin moore swag like shirts, hats, software and of course coffee mugs.

It is a pleasure for Tenhulzen Painting to be a strong partner with The Benjamin Moore Company representing the greater Seattle area, painting Seattle residences and businesses with pride.

Thanks to Benjamin Moore Company, Jim Mallory, John Shearer, George Bean, Rob Shehan, Rob Seiss, John Lanzillotti, & Greg Hourdajian, Mike, Anna, Femi, Monica, & John for an outstanding visit and presentation and for sharing your hard work with us.