Lab Tested: MetaShield400™ Clear Coating Blocks All Ultraviolet Rays

MetaShield LLC, an innovator in the field of advanced materials technology, announced the launch of MetaShield400TM, a fully transparent coating that blocks ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths up to 400 nanometers (nm), which includes both UV-A and UV-B rays. The proprietary nano-enabled formula is easily applied to glass as well as many types of plastics.

“Many products advertise ‘UV protection’ yet fail to block a considerable portion of the UV-A radiation, leaving people and products vulnerable to damage from those harmful rays,” said Martin Ben-Dayan, CEO of MetaShield.

The MetaShield400 formula blocked 99.9% of all UV-A and UV-B rays while maintaining 91% optical clarity in lab testing. In thermal stress and moisture testing, no obvious changes were detected on the coated product, nor was there any visible damage to items receiving UV rays from underneath the coated product.

In additional independent testing, the MetaShield400TM coating was exposed to the two-year equivalent of accelerated solar UV exposure using the ASTM Standard of G155 for Extended UV Exposure, and the coating successfully protected multiple glass samples without noticeable yellowing.

Prior to the launch, the MetaShield400 coating was sold to select contract and original equipment manufacturers; it is not currently being sold as a consumer product or for use on skin.

Existing solutions for UV protection rely on either heavy tinting, which blocks UV rays but hides the product, or clear coatings that still allow for some UV rays to pass through. Many light-sensitive consumer products require protective packaging which hides the actual product, limiting presentation opportunities.

Conversely, MetaShield400, by combining total transparency with complete UV protection, affords consumer product manufacturers the ability to show off the product’s color, which is an important part of marketing certain products.

MetaShield400 is a particularly useful solution in industries such as cosmetics, food and essential oil packaging, museum glass, automotive, defense, and much more. When placed on architectural or automotive glass, the coating provides additional UV protection for the skin of individuals on the other side of the glass. It’s a common misperception, says Ben-Dayan, that window glass blocks all harmful UV rays.

Additionally, MetaShield’s coating protects polymer-based materials, such as automobile headlight casings and colored plastics, which tend to yellow, discolor, and degrade under extended exposure to sunlight.

“The coating does not alter any product’s physical appearance, as it is transparent and only 20μm thin,” said Ben-Dayan. “MetaShield400 is competitively priced and designed for turnkey implementation into high-throughput formats. The formula is simply spray coated and UV cured using commercially available equipment and methods, allowing for simple application in less than five minutes.”

Lab Results

In lab testing, MetaShield400 blocked 99.9% of UV within a range of 280nm-400nm with 91% visible transmittance readings measured between 400-700nm on glass substrate. The coating achieved a yellowness index of less than 4.0 and ∆E rating of less than 3.1. In terms of durability, the MetaShield400 coating measures 2H in pencil hardness, 5B in crosshatch adhesion, and abrasion resistance sufficient for common daily use.