Easyjet trials nanotechnology coating on its aircraft

The low-cost carrier said that the TripleO coating, in use with the US military for the past 25 years, is a polymer that cross links and bonds to the paint surface, and adds an estimated 4oz to the weight of the aircraft.

Applied and distributed in Britain by Poole-based TripleO Performance Solution, the coating is claimed to reduce the build-up of debris on an aircraft’s structure, leading edge and other surfaces, reducing drag on the surface of an aircraft.

TripleO Performance Solution said the coating is applied in three stages. The surfaces are cleaned and then an oxalic-acid wash is applied to purge the pores of the surface and charge it with a positive polarity.

The surface then receives anionic nanoparticles of the TripleO emulsion, which are pulled into the pores electrostatically and held there while the protective chemicals have cross linked, bonded and cured, locking TripleO into the paint.

The manufacturers of the coating estimate that it could reduce Easyjet’s fuel consumption by 1–2 per cent.