The Nano and Hybrid Coatings conference, organized by the PRA Coatings Technology Centre, was held at Manchester Conference Centre on January 24 - 25. Twenty-three papers were presented to an audience of 160 delegates, with each paper being followed by a lively question and answer session. This illustrates that nanotechnology and inorganic-organic hybrid chemistry are currently attracting a great deal of interest across the surface coatings and related industries, offering creative chemists some novel tools to push performance to new levels. Research into nanotechnology in particular is attracting significant financial support from national governments and the EU. Many paint companies have established research projects to investigate its potential, working often in partnership with other institutions.
It appears that most organizations are at the exploratory or development stage, with little evidence to date of large-scale commercial activity. However, the conference demonstrated that we have passed the stage of asking whether the technology is fact or fiction, as it is now clear that there is a commercial reality behind the publicity.