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Nano-Material Makes Spray-On Antennae

In the form of a spray can, a small Utah company may have revolutionized how data is transferred over long distances. Forget ugly antennae towers, that tree over there will do.

What’s the Latest Development?

A small Utah company has seen the future of wireless data transfer and it comes in a spray can. ChamTech Operations has developed a mixture made of nanoparticles that can be sprayed on any vertical surface, from a light pole to a tree, to create powerful antennae. The nanoparticles in the spray act as nanocapacitors which “charge and discharge very quickly and don’t create any heat that can reduce the efficiency of your typical copper antenna.” The engineers’ toughest obstacles was arranging the nanoparticles in the correct pattern.

What’s the Big Idea?

The efficiency of the nano-spray, which does not leak heat like copper wiring, makes antennae more powerful, meaning data can be transferred over the same distance using half the energy or twice the distance using the same amount of energy. The spray has the ability to integrate wireless infrastructure into our landscapes—imagine rural fence posts sprayed to create a nation-wide wireless network or highway lane lines which can give our cars and mobile devices clear Internet reception at all times.

Photo credit: shutterstock.com

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