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Sto Corp. has announced the introduction of its Intelligent Technology + Design (iQ) coatings program to the North American market. This program, also referred to as Sto iQ Technology, offers a family of high-performance coatings that deliver improved functionality through innovatively optimized product properties – or simply put, more intelligent technology.
“With iQ Technology, our focus is on the functionality and added value our coatings bring to the building owner and long-term investor,” said Amanda Poole, Associate Product Manager for Coatings for Sto Corp. “iQ Technology combines functionality with design to offer more than the basic aesthetic features of a coating, rather, they incorporate scientific principles from nature to provide functionality that protects against environmental stimuli which degrade the performance of the coating.”
The initial introduction of the program includes three coatings, StoColor Lotusan , StoColor Climasan , and the soon to come StoColor Dryonic . StoColor Lotusan uses biomimicry to create an exterior coating with the super-hydrophobic properties of the Lotus Leaf. Water that hits the surface forms into droplets and flows off, taking dirt particles that have landed on the surface with it, leaving the surface clean and dry. StoColor Climasan is an indoor coating that attracts harmful substances and odorous gas molecules that are suspended in the ambient air. When exposed to a light source, a catalyst in the coating reacts, breaking down the pollutants and neutralizing the odors, resulting in clean, fresh indoor air.
StoColor Dryonic exterior coating diverts fog, rain and condensation away in a targeted manner due to its microtextured surface, ensuring a clean and dry facade which impedes growth of algae and fungi. The shell of the African fog-basking beetle, covered in countless microscopic bumps, was the inspiration for the operating principle of this new biomimetic coating.
Six factors that impact the exterior of a building include mechanical (such as hail on the outside and swelling on the inside, as well as building movement), air pollution, biological (mildew, fungal growth), water, temperature, and light (UV, visible light, infrared). Sto’s iQ Technology coatings address these key issues and help to deliver optimized coatings properties to achieve both functionality and aesthetic design.
